The Girl Who Skipped Through Time
by ciaofay
Summary: SEUQEL TO THE GIRL WHO SEES GHOSTS! Eleanor Thorn is back, and engaged to be married. Everything is fine, only Eleanor begings learning sinister things about her own past as the purple eyed Amaryllis. And also, what connection does she have to Reinette? She begins to get jealous of everyone, and everything seems too hard. But the Doctor is worth it, and she knows it.
1. The Girl Who Skipped Through Time

Hello! New story already, isn't it exciting? :D For those of you who haven't read the previous installment in Eleanor's life, I recommend that you go and read the first, 'The Girl Who Sees Ghosts', because you're not going to understand if you don't. By the way, for those of you who have read TGWSG, I went with option D. Your votes guided me there guys!

Without further ado, let's get onto the story!

-Fay x

ELEANOR

My name is Eleanor Thorn. I am a Time Lady who was put onto Earth as a human by my parents at the fall of Gallifrey. I have changed my face. I have a fiancee. I can see the whole of time and space whenever I feel like it. I have the power of destruction or survival.

And I had parents who didn't know where their daughter had disappeared to.

"They're not going to know who I am!" I insisted, flashing a dangerous look at Rose Tyler, my friend and companion to my fiancee.

"They have to know, El. You can't just leave them wondering where their daughter is!" Rose retorted, flashing an equally dangerous look.

"She doesn't have to do anything she doesn't want to do." The Doctor said, weakly. I thanked him with a look. Rose killed him with a look.

"She has to tell 'em. She has to!" Rose demanded, and she dragged me by my hand up to my former house.

"I can't do it." I whispered as she knocked on the door and shoved me forwards.

"Ah!" I squeaked, as the door was answered by my father. I melted.

He looked distraught. He had dark shadows under his eyes, his skin was pasty, he looked skinnier.

"Mr Thorn?" I asked, my voice breaking with the pain of seeing my father this way.

"Yes?" He whispered, his voice coarse.

"Um.. " I said, not quite knowing what to say.

"She needs to talk to ya." Rose interjected. I turned and glared at her. I turned back to face dad and nodded weakly.

"Yeah, that."

"Is this about my daughter?" He asked, sounding hopeful but suspicious.

"Yeah." I replied, cursing Rose Tyler.

"Come on in then. Bring your friends too." He said, and opened the door wider. His eyes widened when he saw the Doctor.

"Don't I know you?" He asked, his New York accent really coming out to play.

"No, not me." He said cheerfully.

"Yes I do. You're Eleanor's friend! What have you done with her?" My dad asked, pinning the Doctor up against the wall. I gasped and pried my dad's hands off the Doctor.

"Dad! Stop!" I said, before realising what I said.

"Dad? Why did you call me dad?" He asked, turning to me.

"Because daddy... it's me. I'm Eleanor." I whispered. He looked hurt and angry.

"That's sick! Why would you pretend to be my daughter? Get out! Get out!" He yelled, and pushed us out the door. The door slammed shut in my face and I sighed, and stormed back to the TARDIS.

"Whoops." I heard Rose say sheepishly behind me.

"That's all she needed." The Doctor muttered, and rushed up to catch up with me.

"Are you ok?" He asked, grabbing my hand and forcing me to look up at me.

"No." I whimpered, a tear sliding down my face. He erased it with a kiss.

"Come on, let's go somewhere nice. Take your mind off it." He promised. I nodded as he pulled me into the TARDIS.

When I shut the doors, I felt a gentle tap behind me. I turned around.

"Sorry, Eleanor. I didn't think that he'd react like that." Rose said. I smiled weakly.

"It's ok. Don't worry about it, how were you to know?" I asked, and hugged her gently. Rose and I bounded over to the console panel, and watched the Doctor, my fiancee, as he drove us through time and space.

The Doctor grabbed a CD, as Rose and I rushed off to get changed.

Rose wore a short dungaree dress, while I opted for a mini denim skirt and peter pan collared sheer shirt, with long sleeves. We walked back through to the console room, where the Doctor was singing along to Ian Dury and the Blockheads singing 'Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick'. I grinned and rushed over to him, placing my jewelled hand upon his. He looked down, and without stopping singing, he smiled gently and went back to his work.

"What do you think of this? Will it do?" Rose asked, pointing to her dress.

"In the late 1970's? You'd be better off in a bin bag. Hold on, listen to this." He said, and we listened to the music. "Ian Dury and the Blockheads. Number one in 1979." He told us.

"You're a punk!" Rose laughed.

"It's good to be a lunatic-" The Doctor sang. I rolled my eyes and thanked God he wasn't as bad a dancer as Eleven was.

"That's what you are." Rose said. "A big old punk with a bit of rockabilly thrown in."

I grinned at that and giggled. "Would you like to see him?" The Doctor asked.

"YES!" I said, grinning.

"How'd you mean? In concert?" Rose asked, open mouthed.

"What else is a TARDIS for?" The Doctor asked, smirking. "I can take you to the Battle of Trafalgar... the first anti-gravity Olympics... Caesar crossing the Rubicon... or Ian Dury at the Top Rank. Sheffield, England, Earth, 21st November, 1979. What do you think?" He asked.

"Sheffield." I demanded, sitting at the jump seat.

"Hold on tight." The Doctor warned. I didn't bother. While those two lurched around at the console, I sat suavely, not holding onto anything, not falling over, staying perfectly still. I was well aware that the Doctor was watching me.

"How does she do that?" Rose asked.

"She's magic or something." The Doctor muttered, as he tried not to fall over. He started banging the console with a hammer to the beat of the music, shouting singing along.

"Stop!" Rose shouted.

They stopped and they both fell to the floor laughing while I delicately stood up and walked to the doors. I was well aware that the Doctor was staring at me.

"Mm..." He gulped, tearing his eyes away. "Anyway. 1979. Hell of a year!" He said, and pulled Rose to her feet as they joined me at the door.

"China invades Vietnam... The Muppet movie! Love that film. Margaret Thatcher... urgh... Skylab falls to Earth... with a little help from me... nearly took off my thumb." The Doctor listed.

We stepped through the doors.

"You're very fond of your thumb, aren't you?" I asked him, patting his arm as he pondered over his thumb.

A gun clicked ominously as we stopped in our tracks.

"1879." I snapped.

"Same difference." He defended.

"You will explain your presence. And the nakedness of those girls." A Scottish guard said. Rose and I looked down at ourselves. Not the only time this has been mentioned.

"I dressed for Ian Dury!" I exclaimed, for some reason adapting my accent to be Scottish. Very good Scottish may I add.

"Are we in Scotland?" The Doctor asked, grinning, also in a Scottish accent.

"How can you be ignorant of that?" The guard said.

"Oh, I'm- dazed and confused. Been chasing these... these wee naked children all over hill and over dale. In't that right, ya... timorous beastie?" The Doctor asked me, nudging my arm. I glared at him. Rose decided to speak up, in a God awful Scottish accent.

"Ooch, aye! I've been oot and aboot!" She said.

"No, don't do that." I advised her.

"Hoots mon!" She said.

"No, really don't. Really." The Doctor said.

"Will you identify yourself, sir?" The guard asked.

"I'm Doctor James McCrimmon. From the... Township of Balamory. Eh... I have my credentials, if I may..." He said, and he gestured towards his pocket. The guard nodded. The Doctor fumbled in his pocket for his psychic paper and Rose and I dropped our arms.

He showed them the paper.

"As you can see, a Doctorate from the University of Edinburgh. I trained under Doctor Bell himself." The Doctor said. "And this is my fiancee, Eleanor Thorn." He continued.

"I thought you were chasing this one around?" The guard asked, confused.

"I had to dress the part, to help catch the wee naked child." I made up, pointing to Rose, who sighed.

"Let them approach." A voice said.

"I don't think that's wise, ma'am." The guard advised.

"Let them approach."

The Doctor gestured towards the cabin, and the guard had to let us past.

"You will approach the carriage. And show all due deference."

We approached the carriage. A footman opened the door to reveal... Queen Victoria herself.

"Eleanor, Rose... might I introduce her Majesty Queen Victoria. Empress of India and Defender of the Faith." The Doctor smiled.

I curtsied. "Hello, ma'am." I said, she smiled demurely back at me.

"Rose Tyler, Ma'am. And my apologies... for us being so naked." Rose said, curtsying also.

"I've had five daughters. It's nothing to me. But you, Doctor. Show me these credentials." Victoria said, laughing it off.

The Doctor handed the paper over, and the Queen studied it for a while.

"Why didn't you say so immediately? It states clearly here that you have been appointed by the Lord Provost as my protector." The Queen said.

"Does it? Yes, it does! Good! Good! Um... then let me ask- why is your Majesty travelling by road when there's a train all the way to Aberdeen?" The Doctor asked.

"A tree on the line." Queen Victoria replied.

"An accident?" I asked.

"I am the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Everything around me tends to be planned." She replied.


	2. Amaryllis

"An assassination attempt?" The Doctor asked.

"What, seriously?There's people out to kill ya?" Rose asked. I nodded at Rose.

"I'm quite used to staring down the barrel of a gun." Queen Victoria replied. The guard who had talked to us before had mounted his horse.

"Sir Robert MacLeish lives but ten miles hence. We'll send word ahead, he'll shelter us for tonight, then we can reach Balmoral tomorrow." He said.

"This Doctor, his fiancee, and his... timorous beastie will come with us." Victoria said. I smiled smugly at the Doctor.

"Yes, Ma'am. We'd better get moving. It's almost nightfall." The Captain replied.

"Indeed. And there are stories of wolves in these parts. Fanciful tales intended to scare child. But good for the blood, I think. Drive on!" The Queen smiled. Rose grinned at me and the Doctor and we walked away, behind the moving carriage.

"It's funny though, 'cos you say 'assassination' and you think of Kennedy and stuff. Not her." Rose said.

"1879- she's had, oo six attempts on her life? Am I right, Doctor?" I asked.

"Aye." He replied. "I'll tell you something else: we just met Queen Victoria!" He exclaimed.

"I know!" Rose and I squealed, and I slipped my hand into his as we walked.

"What a laugh!" He said.

"She was just sitting there!" Rose exclaimed.

"Like a stamp." I said.

"I want her to say, 'we are not amused'. I bet you, El, I bet you five quid I can make her say it." Rose said.

"If she gambled on that, it'd be an abuse of her privilege of a traveller in time." The Doctor said.

"Ten quid?" Rose asked.

"Done." I replied, smirking.

The carriage pulled up into 'Torchwood House'. A footman opened the door of the carriage and helped the Queen step down. A man, Sir Robert, I presumed, emerged from the doorway and approached us, a priest behind him.

"Your majesty." He said, in a broad Scottish accent. He bowed to her.

"Sir Robert. My apologies for the emergency. And how is Lady Isobel?" The Queen asked.

"She's... indisposed. I'm afraid- she's gone to Edinburgh for the season. And she's taken the cook with her, the kitchens are barely stocked. I wouldn't blame your Majesty if you wanted to ride on." Sir Robert said, looking anxious and nervous.

The Doctor cocked his head to the side, we both noticed that he didn't want the Queen to stay.

"Oh, not at all!" The Queen replied cheerfully. "I've had quite enough carriage exercise. And this is... charming. If rustic. It's my first visit to this house. My late husband spoke of it often. The Torchwood Estate. Now, shall we go inside?" She asked.

Sir Robert looked reluctant, but the Queen didn't notice.

"And please excuse the naked girls." She concluded.

"Sorry." Rose said.

"This is my fiancee, she dressed down like this to help catch the feral child, here." The Doctor said, his Scottish accent coming out again. "I bought her for sixpence in Old London Town. It was her or the Elephant Man, so..." The Doctor said.

"You bought your future wife?" Sir Robert asked, confused.

"No! I bought this one." The Doctor said, pointing to Rose.

"Thinks he's funny but I'm so not amused." Rose said, looking right at Queen Victoria. I smirked, there was no way she would get her to say it.

"What do you think, Ma'am?" Rose asked.

"It hardly matters. Shall we proceed?" The Queen asked. Sir Robert nodded and we made our way into the grand house.

"So close." Rose whispered to the Doctor and I. The Doctor smiled and grabbed my hand again. We had a habit of holding hands.

"Makerson and Ramsey, you will escort the property. Hurry up." Sir Robert said to two Soldiers.

"Yes, sir."

"Yes, sir." They said, and one took a small box from the carriage and carried it carefully through into the house.

"What's in there then?" I asked, my Scottish accent also making a comeback.

"Property of the Crown. You will dismiss any furthur thoughts, miss." A soldier snapped at me. I pulled a face at the Doctor.

"The rest of you go to the rear of the house. Assume your designated positions." Robert ordered the soldiers.

The Doctor nodded towards the house and we all walked in. We entered the Observatory, with Sir Robert, the Queen, the Priest from before and two household staff.

There was a huge telescope in the middle of the room.

"This, I take it, is the famous Endeavour." Queen Victoria said.

"All my father's work. Built by hand in his final years. Became something of an obsession- he spent his money on this rather than caring for the house or himself." Sir Robert explained.

"I wish I'd met him, I like him." The Doctor smiled. "That thing's beautiful, can I um..?" He asked, gesturing towards the telescope.

"Help yourself." Robert said. The Doctor pulled me over to the telescope and Rose followed.

"What did he model it on, Sir?" I asked.

"I know nothing about it, Miss. To be honest, most of us thought him a little... shall we say, eccentric." Sir Robert told me. The Doctor gave a dopey laugh.

"I wish now I'd spent more time with him. And listened to his stories." Robert said, broodily. He glanced at the Queen nervously.

"It's a bit rubbish." The Doctor said, looking through the telescope. I elbowed him.

"Rude." I hissed, he ignored me.

"How many prisms has it got? Way too many. The magnification's gone right over the top, that's stupid kind of a-" The Doctor continued, before looking at me. "Am I being rude again?" He whispered to Rose.

"Yep." She said.

"But it's pretty! It's very... pretty." The Doctor amended. I patted him on the arm, fondly.

"And the imagination of it should be applauded." Queen Victoria added.

"Mm! Thought you might disapprove, your Majesty. Stargazing. Isn't that a bit fanciful?" Rose asked, I rolled my eyes and took my inspection through the telescope.

The Doctor was right, way too many prisms. Almost as if it wasn't built to be a telescope at all.

"You could easily... not be amused, or something...? No?" Rose continued.

"This device surveys the infinite work of God." Queen Victoria replied. I looked up and shook my head at Rose, while the Doctor wore a vague smile.

"What could be finer? Sir Robert's father was an example to us all. A polymath. Steeped in astronomy and sciences, yet equally well versed in folklore and fairy tales." the Queen continued.

"Stars and magic. I like him more and more." The Doctor noted. He wandered around the telescope, examining it even more.

"Oh my late husband enjoyed his company." The Queen said, and then turned to Rose and I. "Prince Albert himself was acquainted with many rural superstitions, coming as he did from Saxe Coburg." She said to us.

"That's Bavaria." I whispered in Rose's ear.

"When Albert was told about your local wolf, he was transported." The Queen said to Sir Robert.

"So, what's this wolf, then?" The Doctor asked.

"It's just a story." Sir Robert said.

"Then tell it." I said. Sir Robert glanced at the Father rather uncomfortably.

"It's said that-" He began,

"Excuse me, sir. Perhaps her Majesty's party could repair to their rooms. It's almost dark." The priest said.

"Of course. Yes, of course." Sir Robert agreed.

"And then supper. And... could we find some clothes for Miss Tyler and Miss Thorn? I'm tired of nakedness?" She asked.

"It's not amusing, is it?" Rose asked. I guffawed, and covered it with my hand. The Doctor poked my waist and I looked up at him, he was also smirking.

"Sir Robert, your wife must've left some clothes. See to it. We shall dine at seven. And talk some more of this wolf. After all... there is a full moon tonight." The Queen said.

"So there is, Ma'am." Sir Robert replied. He bowed, the Queen left the room and we followed.

A servant showed Rose to one bedroom, and I to another.

"Thank you." I said to her, and smiled as she opened the wardrobe door for me to look through.

I picked out a long, navy blue satin dress, which flowed and clung to my legs, and it had flowers embroidered in black cotton all over. Beautiful.

With help from the servant, I dropped it over my head and she tied the back up for me. She folded my other clothes up and left them on the bed,

"Thank you." I smiled, again.

"No problem, Ma'am." She smiled back timidly.

"Call me Eleanor. What's your name?" I asked.

"Chloe, Ma'am." She replied, not looking me in the eye.

"Please, call me Eleanor, Chloe. I don't consider myself to be better than you."

At that, she smiled and led me out of the room. I walked back to the Doctor who smiled when he saw me.

"You would've suited living in the 19th Century." He whispered in my ear.

We were sat in the dining room, and I was finding the dress uncomfortable when sitting down.

"How did they cope with corsets?" I muttered, and the Doctor chuckled to himself.

"Your companion begs an apology, Doctor. Her clothing has somewhat delayed her." The priest said, and I had learned that his name was Father Angelo.

"Oh, that's all right. Save her a wee bit of ham." The Doctor said.

"The feral child could probably eat it raw." The Queen said, and I nearly spat the soup out.

"Very wise, Ma'am! Very witty!" Captain Reynolds laughed. The Queen stared at the guard.

"Slightly witty, perhaps. I know you rarely get the chance to dine with me, Captain, but don't get too excited... I shall contain my wit in case I do you further injury." The Queen said.

"Yes, Ma'am. Sorry, Ma'am." The Captain replied meekly.

"Besides! We're all waiting on Sir Robert! Come sir! You promised us a tale of nightmares." The Doctor said.

"Indeed. Since my husband's death, I find myself with more of a taste for supernatural fiction." The Queen agreed.

"You must miss him." I said, sadly.

"Very much." She said, looking up at me morosely. "Oh, completely. And that's the charm of a ghost story, isn't it? Not the scares and chills, that's just for children, but the... hope of some contact with the great beyond." She said, lost in her thoughts. I watched gravely, and the Doctor looked at her intensely.

"We all want some message from that place... it's the Creator's greatest mystery that we are allowed no such consolation. The dead stay silent. And we must wait." She concluded. She shrugged, but the rest of us remained solemn. The Doctor seemed to be remembering Gallifreyan's, and it brought back a memory.

Fire. Fire everywhere. I couldn't escape it. The planet was burning, surrounded by mists of red and billowing clouds of grey. My house, the Citadel, everything. Burning up. My Mother turned to look at me, aged only one hundred, and her eyes showed reflections of the ghastly flames.

"Your father has perished, my love. I can't keep you here with me, I can't do it." She sobbed, and shakily pulled a fob watch out of her pocket.

"Amaryllis, I love you. But you won't remember me. You'll be in here. Everything that makes you, you. I'm sending you to Earth, where you'll be safe. Darling, open this when the time comes." She whispered and sat me down in the Chameleon Arch.

The pain... The pain of it. All my genetic coding, all my Time Lord qualities stuffed into this fob watch. And there I sat, oddly human.

She teleported me to Earth, where I planted into a surrogate mother, of sorts. My human mother.

But I remembered now. I had forgotten, but now I remembered. My parents. My real name.

Amaryllis.

"El, are you alright?" the Doctor asked, patting me on my arm. I gasped as I came back into reality.

I looked up and the Queen was staring at me, concerned.

"I'm fine." I mumbled. The Doctor looked at me, pain evident on his face. He knew what I had remembered. My parents. Me.

"Come! Begin your tale, Sir Robert. There's a chill in the air. The wind is howling the eaves. Tell us of monsters!" Queen Victoria said.

"The story goes back three hundred years. Every full moon, the howling rings through the valley. The next morning, livestock is found ripped apart and... devoured." He said.

"Tales like this just disguise the work of thieves. Steal a sheep and blame a wolf, simple as that." Captain Reynolds said. The Queen looked at the man with an irritated look on her face.

"But sometimes a child goes missing. Once in a generation. A boy will vanish from his homestead." Sir Robert said.

"Are there descriptions of the creature?" The Doctor asked.

"Oh, yes, Doctor. Drawings and wood carvings. And it's not merely a wolf. It's more than that. This is a man who becomes an animal." Sir Robert explained.

"A werewolf?" I asked, leaning forward. I felt the Doctor place a hand on the small of my back, and I relaxed a little.

"My father didn't treat it as a story. He said it was fact. He even claimed to have communed with the beast- to have learned it's purpose." Sir Robert said. "I should've listened." Sir Robert glanced at Father Angelo, who was staring intently out the window.

"His work was hindered, he made enemies. There's a Monastery in the Glen of Saint Catherine. The Brethren opposed my father's investigations." Sir Robert said quickly.

"Perhaps they thought his work ungodly." Queen Victoria suggested.

"That's what I thought. But now I wonder... what if they had a different reason for wanting the story kept quiet?" He asked.

The Doctor looked at Father Angelo, who was chanting in Latin under his breath. "lupus deus est." He was chanting.

"What if they turned from God and worshipped the wolf?" Robert asked. I understood.

"And what if they were with us right now?" I asked, looking at Father Angelo.

"What is the meaning of this?" Queen Victoria asked, staring at the chanting man.

Captain Reynolds pointed a gun at Sir Robert. "Explain yourself, Sir Robert!" He exclaimed.

"What's happening-" Victoria said.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, they've got my wife." Sir Robert cried.

"Rose! Where's Rose? Where is she?" I shouted, dropping the Scottish accent.

"Sir Robert, come on!" The Doctor said, also losing his accent. We all ran from the room.

We sprinted down a corridor, and the Doctor kicked the door down to the cellar.

"Oh, that's beautiful." He gasped.

"Get out!" Robert shouted to his wife.

We saw a huge werewolf, trapped in a cage, with the biggest eyes and face I'd ever seen.

The wolf smashed out of the cage and all the staff and people trapped in the cellar pelted out of ther room.

"Out! Out! Out! Out! Out! Out! Out! Out! Out! Out!" The Doctor said, remembering how urgent the situation was.

"It's gorgeous." I breathed, longing to touch it.

"Come on..." Rose said, and ran out of the room.

The huge wolf stood up in it's cage and threw the top off, narrowly missing us as we looking at it in awe.

The Doctor then grabbed my hand and dragged me out of the room, and locked it behind us with the sonic. I heard the beast howl at the moon and longed to know more about it.

We ran into a room where everybody else was.

"Arms... and your strife... ready everyone?" The steward asked, handing guns out to the soldiers. He then turned to Sir Robert's wife, Lady Isobel. "Take the girls. Get them out through the kitchen."

Lady Isobel waked up to her husband. "I can't leave you. What will you do?" She asked.

"I must defend her Majesty. Now, don't think of me- just go." He told her. They kissed briefly, and Isobel gathered her maids.

"All of you at my side, come on!" She said, and she pulled them to the kitchen. The Doctor used his sonic to unlock Rose's handcuffs.

"It could be any form of light modulated species triggered by specific wavelengths- did it say what it wanted?" The Doctor asked, talking very fast.

"The Queen, the crown, the throne. You name it." Rose replied. There was a loud banging noise coming from the cellar, and we looked around. The Doctor walked out into the corridor to look. I heard the wolf growl, and the Doctor ran back into the room. He grabbed mine and Rose's hands and pulled us behind the line of men with their guns ready.

"It's awkward to run in this dress!" I complained.

"Fire!" The Steward ordered, and they all shot at the wolf, who stumbled back.

"Fire!" He ordered again. I flinched as they fired again. The room was full of smoke, with no sign of the wolf.

"All right, you mean, we should retreat upstairs, come with me." The Doctor said.

"I'll not retreat. The battle's done. There's no creature on God's Earth that could survive such an assault." The Steward replied.

"I'm telling you, come upstairs!" The Doctor said angrily.

"And I'm telling you, sir, that I will sleep well tonight with that thing's hide upon my wall." He sneered. He walked briskly across the room and down the corridor to check upon the wolf. We watched him, the Doctor angry, Rose and I concerned.

He looked back, looking triumphant. Nothing was there.

"Must've crawled away to die-" He began, but he was lifted clean through the ceiling by the wolf. As well as hearing him being devoured, blood and gore dripped miserably down to the ground.

"There's nothing we can do!" The Doctor insisted, and pulled us from the room. Some of the firing squad remained frozen, they weren't going to live.

The Doctor, Rose, Sir Robert and I ran into a room. Rose, I'm sad to say, was still 'naked'. I however,had to lift the skirt up to run.

"I hate this dress!" I complained.

The Doctor smiled briefly and locked the door behind us with his sonic.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!" Sir Robert exclaimed.

"Sir Robert! What's happening?" The Queen asked, walking down the stairs. The Doctor rushed off somewhere.

"I heard such terrible noises." The Queen continued.

"Your Majesty- we've got to get out. But what of Father Angelo? Is he still here?" Sir Robert asked.

"Captain Reynolds disposed of him." She answered coolly.

The Doctor rushed back into the room. "The front door's no good. It's been boarded shut. Pardon me, Your Majesty- you'll have to leg it out of a window." The Doctor said.

He gestured to the window, and the Queen obliged, her head held high.

"I can't!" I hissed to the Doctor. "The dress won't let me move my friggin' legs properly!" I said.

He bent down, and ripped four little seams in the dress, allowing me to move my legs.

"Better?" He asked, standing up straight again.

"Much." I replied. "Thanks sweetie." 


	3. Exiled By Queen Victoria

"Excuse my manners, Ma'am, but I shall go first. The better to assist Her Majesty's egress." Sir Robert said.

"A noble sentimen, mr Sir Walter Raleigh." Queen Victoria replied.

"Yeah, any chance you could hurry up?" The Doctor asked, impatiently.

Sir Robert climbed onto the window sill and immediately dodged as he was shot at by Monks standing outside.

"Very Godly!" I yelled, sticking my thumbs up at them.

"I reckon the monky boys want us to stay outside." The Doctor said.

"Do they know who I am?" Victoria asked.

"Yeah, that's why they want ya. The wold's lined you up for a... a biting." Rose replied.

"Now, stop this talk. There can't be an actual wolf." The Queen scoffed.

"Quite right. That's why Sir Robert's men were killed, Ma'am." I coughed gently. A howling that rang through the house backed up what I was saying. We all span around, alarmed, as the wolf banged into the door.

"What do we do?" Rose asked.

"We... Run!" The Doctor exclaimed.

"Is that it?" I asked.

"You got any silver bullets?" The Doctor asked sarcastically.

"Not on me, no!" I stressed.

"There we are then, we run. Your Majesty, as a Doctor, I recommend a vigorous jog." He said, and jogged on the spot to demonstrate his point.

I groaned. "This dress!" I moaned.

"Good for the health. Come on!" The Doctor said cheerfully, and he picked me up.

Yes. That's right. HE PICKED ME UP. He picked me up and slung me over his shoulder, but he did it 'nicely' as he later defended. By 'nicely', he rubbed my back. The group ran up the stairs as quickly as they could, with me complaining the whole time.

"Come on! Come on!" The Doctor exclaimed. When we reached the top of the stairs, they continued to run down corridors, and because I my head was leaning over the Doctor's shoulder, I could see the wolf following not far behind. It nearly got us, got me, and I was almost ready to scream.

Captain Reynolds came to our rescue, however, and he appeared holding a gun. He shot the wolf, which reeled back and went back down the corridor. The captain ducked behind the wall where we were hiding, and the Doctor put me back on my feet. Everyone else was breathing hard, but I was dancing. I wasn't even out of breath.

They all glared at me as I grinned.

"Not the time." Rose panted, and my grin faded as I remembered the beautiful wolf near us.

"I'll take this position and hold it. You keep moving, for God's sake! Your Majesty- I went to look for the property, it was taken. The chest was empty." Captain Reynolds told her.

"I have it. It's safe." Victoria replied.

"Then remove yourself, Ma'am. Doctor, you stand as Her Majesty's Protector. And you, Sir Robert, you're a traitor to the crown." He said, and he cocked his gun.

"Bullets can't stop it!" The Doctor said through gritted teeth.

"They'll buy you time. Now, run!" Captain Reynolds insisted, and he stood at the end of the corridor, gun ready. Queen Victoria and Sir Robert had already started running, and finally we followed. We sprinted into the library, I had to pull my dress up to my knees to be able to do so! I heard the wolf snarling, and the sickening crunching sounds as he ate Captain Reynolds' bones up.

"Rose!" I called, and she pulled herself away from the gory sight and turned to me. I growled at her and ran, grabbing her waist and pulling her into the library. The Doctor slammed the door shut behind us.

We all barricaded the door with chairs and wood and anything we could find.

"Wait a minute, shh, shh, wait a minute..." The Doctor hushed us.

We heard the wolf howl, splitting the silence.

"It's stopped." I said. The Doctor propped a chair up against the wall and stood on it, pressing his ear to the wall.

"It's gone." He told us. We could hear footsteps padding around outside the room.

"Listen..." Rose said. There was a dead silence as everyone tried to listen to the wolf.I glanced at the Queen and she was shaking violently. I slowly and quietly moved over to her, and after hesitating, I squeezed her arm reassuringly. She smiled gratefully at me. I nodded gently.

"Is this the only door?" The Doctor whispered.

"Yes. No!" Robert exclaimed, and he dashed to the other door and barricaded it with the Doctor while I stayed stood with The Queen.

"Shh!" Rose shushed.

They became silent and looked around uneasily at the sounds of the werewolf.. And then it stopped. We heard footsteps pad away into the distance.

"I don't understand. What's stopping it?" Rose asked.

"Something in this room?" I suggested.

Sir Robert sat on a chair barricading the door and put his head into his hands.

"What is it? Why can't it get in?" The Doctor asked, confused.

"I'll tell you what though..." Rose said.

"What?" The Doctor asked.

"Werewolf...!" Rose exclaimed. I burst into nervous giigles.

"I know!" The Doctor replied. We all threw our arms around each other.

"You all right?" The Doctor asked me.

"Oh yeah." I replied.

"Rose?" He asked.

"I'm okay, yeah!" She laughed.

Queen Victoria was staring at us, eyes wide.

"I'm sorry Ma'am. It's all my fault. I should've sent you away. I tried to suggest something was wrong, I... thought you might notice. Did you think there was nothing strange about my household staff?" Robert asked, the anguish clear in his voice.

"Well, they were bald, athletic... your wife's away, I just thought you were happy." The Doctor said.

"I'll tell you what though, Ma'am, I bet you're not amused now." Rose said.

"Do you think this is funny?" The Queen demanded, angrily.

"No, Ma'am. I'm sorry." Rose said meekly.

"What, exactly, I pray someone please- what exactly is that creature?" Victoria asked.

"You'd call it a werewolf." I said. "Technically it's more of a lupine wavelength haemovariform." I explained. "Doctor! I remembered big words!" I exclaimed happily, pleased that I could recall information like that.

"Yes." He said patronisingly. "Well done." He said, clapping his hands slowly. I glared and walked over to his side, digging into his waist with my hand for a second.

"And should I trust you, Miss? Sir? You who change your voice so easily? What happened to your accents?" Queen Victoria asked.

"Ah." I said, realising our mistake.

"Oh.. right, sorry-" The Doctor said.

"I'll not have it. No, sir- not you... not your bride to be... not that thing... none of it. This is not my world." She argued.

I sighed and moved away from the lady, and went and touched the wood work, which had carvings of mistletoe. The Doctor followed and did the same.

"Blimey." He whispered to me.

"I know. Touchy touchy." I whispered back. He guffawed quietly. I smirked.

"Mistletoe. Sir Robert, did your father put that there?" I asked.

"I don't know, I suppose..." Sir Robert said.

"On the other door, too... a carving wouldn't be enough... I wonder..." The Doctor pondered, and he licked the woodowork. I did the same, wondering what he was thinking.

"Viscum album." I said.

"The oil of mistetoe- it's been worked into the wood like a varnish! How clever was your dad? I love him!" The Doctor exclaimed.

"Mistletoe is powerful, it has lectins and viscotoxins." I said to Rose.

"And the wolf's allergic to it?" Rose asked.

"Well, it thinks it is. The monkey monk monks need a way of controlling the wolf, maybe they trained it to react against certain things." The Doctor said.

"Nevertheless, that creature won't give up, Doctor. And we still don't possess an actual weapon." Sir Robert said.

"Oh, your father got all the brains didn't he?" The Doctor asked.

"Rude." I hissed again.

"Good. I meant that one." The Doctor said, and he walked across the room to the book shelves.

"You want weapons?" I muttered."We're surrounded by them. Books are the best weapon in the world."

The Doctor put his glasses on. "Hipster." I muttered. He ignored me.

"This room's the greatest arsenal we could have." The Doctor said. He pulled some books off the shelf, threw some to me and then Rose.

"Arm yourself."

We all frantically flicked through books, talking over each other.

"Biology, zoology, there might be something on wolves in here.." Rose said.

"Hold on, what about this?" I asked, chucking a book to Rose.

"Some form of explosive..." Sir Robert said.

"Hm, that's the sort of thing." The Doctor said.

"Ooh." I said, the Doctor rushed over to me and leaned over my shoulder, his face right next to mine, reading over my shoulder. My heart beat increased rapidly, and I actually couldn't believe that he was mine. His hand snaked around my waist subconsciously, and I leaned into him a little as we read.

When he finished scanning the pages, he snatched the book from me, and paced to the table and slammed the book down.

"Look what your old dad found. Something fell to Earth." He said.

"A spaceship?" Rose asked, looking at the book.

"A shooting star." Robert said, and then, reading it from the book, he said, "In the year of our Lord, 1540, under the reign of King James the Fifth, an almighty fire did burn in the pit.'" He read. "That's the Glen of Saint Catherine just by the Monastery." Robert told us.

"But that's over three hundred years ago. What's it been waiting for?" Rose asked.

"Maybe just a single cell survived. Adapting slowly down the generations. It survived through the humans. Host after host after host." The Doctor said.

"But why does it want the throne?" I asked.

"That's what it wants. It said so, The Empire of the Wolf." Rose said.

"Imagine it... the Victorian Age accelerated... starships and missiles fueled by coal and driven by steam... leaving history devastated in its wake..." The Doctor pondered.

"Sir Robert!" The Queen said, standing up. Sir Robert walked to her. "If I am to die here..."

"Dont say that, Your Majesty." Robert said.

"I would destroy myself rather than let that creature infect me. But that's no matter. I ask only that you find some place of safekeeping for something far older and more precious that myself." She said, and opened her bag.

"Hardly time to worry about your valuables." The Doctor said.

"Thank you for your opinion. But there is nothing more valuable than this." She said, and pulled out the Koh-I-Noor from her bag.

"Is that the Koh-I-Noor?" Rose asked, amazed.

"Oh my." I said.

"Oh, yes... the greatest diamond in the world." The Doctor said. We shuffled closer to look.

"Given to me as the spoils of war. Perhaps its legend is now coming true. It is said that whoever owns it must surely die." She said.

"Well, that's true of anything if you own it long enough. Can I...?" The Doctor asked, holding his hands out for the diamond. The Queen gave it to him, and I prodded it along with Rose, eyes wide.

"That is so beautiful." I muttered.

"How much is that worth?" Rose asked.

"They say... the wages of the entire planet for a whole week." The Doctor said. I whistled through my teeth.

"Good job my mum's not hee. She'd be fighting the wolf off with her bare hands for that thing." Rose said, and I started laughing.

"And she'd win." I said, and Rose laughed.

"Where is the wolf?" Sir Robert asked, pacing the room. "I don't trust this silence."

"Why do you travel with it?" The Doctor asked the Queen.

"My annual pilgrimage. I'm taking it to Helier and Carew. The Royal Jewellers at Hazelhead. The stone needs recutting." The Queen said.

"Oh, but it's perfect." Rose said.

"Dazzling." I agreed.

"Like someone I know." The Doctor whispered in my ear. I ignored him, but my cheeks flushed.

"My late husband never thought so." Victoria said.

"Now there's a fact- Prince Albert kept on having the Koh-I-Noor cut down. It used to be forty percent bigger than this. But he was never happy. Kept on cutting and cutting." The Doctor said.

"He always said... the shine was not quite right. But he died with it still unfinished." Victoria said.

"Unfinished.. oh yes!" The Doctor said, realising something. He threw the diamond back to Victoria, who luckily, caught it.

"There's a lot of unfinished business in this house. His father's research, your husband, Ma'am, he came here and he sought the perfect diamond- hold on, hold on-" He said, ruffling his hair. "Eleanor, come here! Your face is calming." He roared. I shook my head, not wanting to go against him, but wondering how a face could be 'calming.' I stood in front of him and he gazed at me.

"All these separate things, they're not separate at all, they're connected! What if- this house, it's a trap for you- is that right, Ma'am?" The Doctor asked.

"Obviously." The Queen said.

"At least, that's what the wolf intended. But! What if there's a trap inside the trap?" He asked, still looking at my face.

"Explain yourself, Doctor."

"What if his father and your husband weren't just telling each other stories. They dared to imagine all this was true. And they planned against it, laying the real trap not for you, but for the wolf." He said. A fine sprinkling of dust fell from the ceiling. We all looked up and the wolf was pacing about on the glass window above our hands, looking down at us and growling.

"That wolf there." I said. The glass started to crack. We all threw our books down and we ran to the door.

The werewolf smashed through the glass, onto the desk. We all, save the Queen, ripped the barricades off the door and ran into the corridor.

"Your Majesty!" Robert called, and the Doctor took one last look at the wolf before once again slamming the door closed and hoisting me over his shoulder.

"You don't have to do this!" I insisted.

"I'm not losing you to a wolf!" He yelled. "Gotta get to the observatory!" He yelled to the others, and we ran down corridors.

The wolf was close behind. Rose turned around and was transfixed by the wof. Just as the wolf nearly got her, Lady Isobel threw a pan of mistletoe water at the wolf. Rose screamed, but the werewolf bounded back down the corridor and away from them.

"Good shot!" I exclaimed.

"It was mistletoe!" Lady Isobel said, looking confused as to why I was hanging over the Doctor's shoulder.

The Sir and Lady whispered sweet nothings at each other, and we all looked away as they kissed goodbye.

The Lady and the maids rushed past us and made their way back to the kitchen. As they ran off, Sir Robert stared sadly after his wife.

"Come on!" The Doctor said, and they started running again down the corridor.

"The observatory's this way!" Robert said. They ran up the staircase as fast as they could, but once again, the wolf was chasing us. We finally arrived in the observatory, the Doctor leading us.

"No mistletoe on these doors, your father wanted the wolf to get inside! Get inside I just need time! Is here any way of barricading this?" The Doctor asked, setting me on my feet gently.

"Just do your work and I'll defend it." Sir Robert said, I looked at him sadly.

"If we could bind them shut with rope or something!" The Doctor said, ignoring Sir Robert's suggestion.

"I said I'll find you time, sir." Robert insisted. "Now get inside."

The Doctor looked at him for a second. "Good man." He said, and I quickly hugged the brave man.

Sir Robert closed the door and the Doctor ran to the Queen.

"Your Majesty, the diamond."

"For what purpose?" The Queen asked.

"The purpose it was designed for." The Doctor said. She handed over the diamond from her bag. The Doctor ran over to the mechanism for the telescope.

"El! Rose!" He called. He rushed over to him.

"Life it! Come on!" He said. We ran to the wheel and helped him turn the stiff wheel, the cog started shifting and the telescope started rising.

"Is this the right time for stargazing?" Rose asked.

"Yes it is." The Doctor said.

I looked to the door, helplessly listening as the wolf tore through Sir Robert, listening to the man's screams for his wife. I shut my eyes, trying to block out the thoughts.

The Queen held up her crucifix as the wolf battered at the door.

"You said this thing doesn't work!" Rose exclaimed.

"It doesn't work as a telescope because that's not what it is! It's a light chamber! It magnifies the light rays like a weapon. We've just got to power it up!" He said.

"But there's no electricity." Rose said. She looked up at the light chamber and cottoned on. "Moonlight! But it needs moonlight! It's made by moonlight!"

"You're seventy percent water but you can still drown." I reasoned.

At last the Light Chamber aligned with the moon. We stepped away as the moonlight bounced off the prisms. The wolf broke through the door violently, and the light spewed forth from the light chamber and fell short of the wolf. The wolf advanced on the Queen, but the Doctor quickly threw the Koh-I-Noor into the beam of light.

A fantastic and beautiful prismatic beam of light hit the werewolf, and it was lifted off the floor and it hung there. The werewolf was caught in a wash of light as it turned back into a human.

"Make it brighter. Let me go." The Host said quietly.

The Doctor flicked a switch and the beam increased in intensity. The wolf in the human howled and the creature vanished. We all sighed with relief as the machine turned off, it's job done.

We turned to the Queen, who has studying a wound on her wrist.

"Your Majesty? Did it bite you?" I asked.

"No it's... it's a cut." Victoria said.

"If that thing bit you..." The Doctor said.

"It was a splinter of wood when the door came apart." Victoria insisted.

"Let me see." The Doctor said. She pulled her hand away sharplu.

"It is nothing."

The Doctor, Rose and I stepped forward and knelt before Queen Victoria. Everyone was present, the mourning Lady Isobel included.

"By the power invested in me by the Church and the state, I dub thee: Sir Doctor of TARDIS." She said. She tapped him on each shoulder.

"By the power invested in me by the Church and the state, I dub thee: Dame Amaryllis of TARDIS." She said and tapped my shoulders. The Doctor turned to me sharply. I shrugged. I had told her my real name when she asked for them.

"By the power invested in me by the Church and the state, I dub thee: Dame rose of the Powell Estate." And she tapped Rose's shoulders.

"You may stand." The Queen told us.

We rose.

"Many thanks, Ma'am." The Doctor said, linking his hand with me.

"My gratitude." I said.

"Thanks! They're never gonna believe this back home." Rose grinned.

"Your Majesty, you said last night about receiving a message from the great beyond; I think your husband cut that diamond to save your life. He's protecting you even now Ma'am, even from beyond the grave." I said.

"Indeed. Then you may think on this, also: that I am not amused." The Queen said. I groaned while Rose whooped.

"Yes!" She said, smirking.

"Not remotely amused. And henceforth... I banish you. I rewarded you, Sir Doctor. And now you are exiled from this empire, never to return. I don't know what you are, the two of you, or where you're from, but I know that you consort with stars - and magic - and think it fun. But your world is steeped in terror and blasphemy and death and I will not allow it! You will leave this shores and you will reflect, I hope, on how you managed to stray so far from all that is good. And how much longer you will survive this... terrible life." The Queen said angrily and walked away from us. "Now leave this world. And never return."

Walking back to the TARDIS, the Doctor pondered something.

"You know, the funny thing is, Queen Victoria did actually suffer a mutation of the blood! It's historical record haemophiliac. It used to be called the Royal Disease! But it's always been a mystery because she didn't inherit it. Her mum didn't have it her dad didn't have it - it came from nowhere!"

"What, and you're saying that's a wolf bite?" Rose asked.

"Well, maybe Haemophilia is just a Victorian euphemism." I said.

"For werewolf?" Rose asked.

"Could be!" And her children had the royal disease. Maybe she gave them a quick nip." The Doctor said.

"So, the Royal Family are werewolves?" Rose asked, as I grinned.

"Well… maybe not yet. I mean, a single wolf cell could take... a hundred years to mature... might be ready by… oooh… early 21st century..." The Doctor said.

"Nah! That's just ridiculous. Mind you... Princess Anne!"

"I'll say no more." I said.

"And if you think about it... they're very private. They plan everything in advance. They - they could schedule themselves around the moon - we'd never know" Rose exclaimed, laughing.

"They like hunting! They love blood sports!" I added, and the Doctor laughed as we reached the TARDIS.

As we dematerialized, Rose shouted, "Oh my God, they're werewolves!"

And over the sound of the TARDIS engines, we howled until completely vanished.

Later that evening, once Rose had gone to bed, I sat down next to the Doctor, once again, with our legs dangling over the edge of the ship.

"Are you going to tell me what you remembered?" He asked me, lacing his fingers through mine. I told him about remembering my family, and my name.

"It's good that you're remembering, you're becoming your real person now, Dame Amaryllis." He told me, gently kissing my neck. I giggled as he said my real title.

I threw away my worries and succumbed to the Time Lord's kiss.


	4. FORGET

ELEANOR

When we got back from Victorian Scotland, with a little help from the Doctor and Rose, I quietly unlocked my front door and sneaked into my bedroom. I grabbed armfuls of clothes, shoes, make up, photographs and anything I would want to keep. I then stripped the walls of any pictures of me, or anything that my parents might see that might remind them of their daughter. I used TARDIS technology and put a perception filter on the door to my bedroom, that way they would forget I ever lived with them. I picked up my cat- Jean-Luc- and all his things and rushed to the TARDIS and shoved all my things into the console room.

I then ran back into the house, dumped my key in the bin, double checked to see I hadn't missed anything, and then stamped the sticker we had acquired from New New York a few weeks ago onto my parents necks. The little green sticker with the words FORGET printed onto them stared up at me.

The Doctor hadn't approved at first, but I soon got him to see it from my point of view.

They would never see their daughter again, because I'd regenerated. They would live forever, with this twinge of sadness towering over and dominating their lives; it wasn't fair.

"Please." I whispered. After seeing the beautiful side of New New York, we'd travelled underground, to see the grime and dirt of the city. Only a few people were there, living in the dirt.(A/N this is way before GridLock, where people are living in the slums, but the motorway hasn't been built yet.)

The Doctor stared at me with steely eyes, it was the only time I'd seen him glare at me before. A tear slid down my face, and his eyes softened and he relaxed a little.

"I can't live knowing they think their daughter's dead." I concluded. He sighed, and ran a hand through his hair.

"I just can't let you do it..." He said, avoiding eye contact with me. I turned my back on him, putting my hands in my pockets, and walked the opposite way as the Doctor and Rose were stood.

It was the second time I had been genuinely angry with the Doctor.

I walked through the streets, trying to hold back my tears as I thought of my father's sad face.

I spent a few hours lacing my way through the streets, occasionally stopping to look at some of the sticker drugs they were selling. Some were really odd, and it was quite amusing.

I had soon emerged back up to the beautiful and glitzy city, with apple grass and flying cars.

I sat on the grass, watching the view with a sad smile on my face. Even with sad thoughts, the city was too beautiful and typically futuristic to ignore smiling.

I sat there for a while, until I saw something drop into my lap and heard footsteps walking away from me. I picked the stickers up. Two FORGET stickers, staring up at me. I closed my eyes, pocketed them and turned to look at the Doctor as he angrily stamped away from me and walked into the TARDIS, closing the door behind him.

I looked to the right, and saw Rose staring at me. She quickly walked over to me.

"Are you OK?" She asked, helping me stand up. I nodded, overcome with emotion.

I ignored her hands trying to calm me down, and instead ran right into the TARDIS. The Doctor was hunched over the console, his glasses on and his hands covering his eyes. I walked over slowly, and he stood and turned to me, his eyes boring into mine, glaring into my soul. I ignored it.

I grabbed his neck, delicately pulling his face to mine as I kissed him. He stood, unresponsive, his arms hanging by his sides, until I reached into his mind with mine. It was like adrenaline had pumped through him and his hands laced around my waist, pulling me closer to him.

"Thank you." I whispered, and he nodded.

I left the house, my hands in my pockets, sadly walking to the TARDIS.

"Um.. I'll go and see mum and Mickey if you want to be alone." Rose said to me and the Doctor.

He nodded discreetly, and she walked away from us.

"Are you alright?" The Doctor asked. I nodded numbly.

"Tell me everything will be alright." I said, my voice sounding coarse.

"I can't do that." He said, pressing his forehead against mine.

"I know." I sighed, closing my eyes. His arms snaked around my waist, as he hugged me gently.

"I can take your mind off them though." He said.

"With what?" I asked, opening my eyes.

"Me." He said.

How fluffy, eh? I thought that Eleanor needed closure from her parents, and I also needed an interlude chapter.

For School Reunion, I was thinking that Rose would be fine with Mickey, and Eleanor would be jealous of Sarah-Jane? It makes more sense. Obviously Rose would side with Eleanor.

And for The Girl In The Fireplace, what am I going to do with Reinette? And just so you know, I'm not writing any chapters that River Song is in, because I can't think of a way of including her in the story as well as Eleanor, sorry to you River lovers!

Let me know, anyway. :-) 


	5. Changing Eyes

I sat in the classroom, with a STUPID school uniform on, trying to find school stimulating again.

I'm nineteen. I left school three years ago. I'm at college. Why the hell the Doctor thought it appropriate for me to be a school girl again, I don't know. Or maybe I do...

Luckily for me, the Doctor was one of my teachers, and he kept smirking at me as I stared, bored, up at him.

"Good morning, class. Are we sitting comfortably?" The Doctor asked.

"No." I whispered, and I knew he heard me. He smirked and turned to write on the board.

"So, physics. Physics, eh? Physics. Physics. Physics! Physics. Physics, physics, physics, physics, physics, physics, physics." He rambled. I coughed, trying to tell him to move on. "I hope one of you is getting all this down. Okay, let's see what you know. Two identical strips of nylon are charged with static electricity and hung from a string so they can swing freely. What would happen if they were brought near each other?" He asked.

My hand shot up. It was obvious.

The Doctor ignored me, and instead asked a different kid.

"Yes, er, what's your name?" The Doctor asked.

"Milo." He replied.

"Milo! Off you go." He said.

"They'd repel each other because they have the same charge." Milo said.

"Correctamundo!" The Doctor said. I guffawed, and all the students turned to stare at me. "A word I have never used before and hopefully never will again. Question two. I coil up a thin piece of micro wire and place it in a glass of water. Then I turn on the electricity and measure to see if the water's temperature is affected. My question is this. How do I measure the electrical power going into the coil?"

My hand shot up again, as did Milo's.

"Someone else." The Doctor said. I coughed. He looked at me and looked away. "No? Okay, Milo, go for it."

"Measure the current and PDs in an ammeter and voltmeter."

"Two to Milo. Right then, Milo, tell me this. True of false. The greater the dampening of the system, the quicker it loses energy to its surroundings."  
"False." Milo said.

"What is non-coding DNA?"

"DNA that doesn't code for a protein." Milo said.

"Sixty five thousand and eighty three times five?"

"Three hundred and twenty nine thousand nine hundred and fifteen." Milo replied. This was good, even for a human.

"How do you travel faster than light?" I asked this time, turning to Milo.

"By opening a quantum tunnel with an FTL factor of thirty six point seven recurring." Milo told me. I laughed nervously and turned to the Doctor.

At lunch time, I sat with quite an attractive boy who had become quite fond of me. He was called Thom, and he loved the fact that my hair had bubblegum faint pink streaks in at the ends.

"So.. when did you move to London?" He asked.

"About two years ago." I said.

"How old are you?" He asked. I noticed that all the girls milling around him were glaring at me, and pushing their chests out to get the blonde's attention.

"Nineteen." I said. His eyes widened.

I ignored his next question, and my attention turned to the Doctor, who was being served lunch by a pissed off looking Rose. I smirked as he grinned at her and walked away. I then looked down as his gaze turned to me, his smile gone when he saw that I was sat with an attractive boy.

"Excuse me." I muttered, and walked over to the Doctor. He didn't look at me.

"Where's your ring?" He asked.

"On a chain round my neck." I said. He then grinned and looked up at me.

I sat down, much to Thom's disgust.

"Two days." Rose said, as she walked over and cleaned our table.

"Sorry, could you just? There's a bit of gravy. No, no, just, just there." The Doctor joked, making her wipe his side of the table.

"Two days, we've been here." She complained.

"How do you think I feel? I've had to sit through classes that I've already taken. With stupid kids." I complained.

"Blame your boyfriend. He's the one who put us onto this. And he was right. Boy in class this morning, got a knowledge way beyond planet Earth." The Doctor said, and I nodded, confirming what he said.

"You eating those chips?" Rose asked.

"Yeah, they're a bit different." The Doctor said.

"I refuse to eat anything from school canteens." I said, sitting back in my chair. Rose smirked, as did the Doctor.

"I think they're gorgeous. Wish I had school dinners like this." Rose said.

"It's very well behaved, this place." The Doctor said.

"Mm."

"I thought there'd be happy slapping hoodies. Happy slapping hoodies with ASBO's. Happy slapping hoodies with ASBO's and ringtones. Huh? Huh?" The Doctor said. I shook my head. "Oh, yeah, don't tell me I don't fit in."

"You don't fit in." I said. "I went to school, I didn't happy slap anyone, nor did anyone else at my school." He sulked at me.

A head dinner lady came over to the table.

"You are not permitted to leave your station during a sitting." She said to Rose.

"I was just talking to this teacher." Rose said.

"Hello." The Doctor waved happily.

"He doesn't like the chips." I said, sneering at the lady.

"The menu has been specifically designed by the headmaster to improve concentration and performance. Now, get back to work." She spat.

"See? This is me. Dinner Lady." Rose said, standing up and glaring at us.

"I'll have the crumble." The Doctor smirked.

"I'm so going to kill you." Rose said. I laughed in delight.

"You look nice in that uniform." The Doctor said to me. I glared at him.

"That's gross. You dirty man." I said, but I couldn't keep the smirk off my face.

"I am your fiancee." He defended. I smirked and left him to it, and walked back to Thom.

3RD PERSON

Eleanor walked into IT, and took a seat by Thom.

"I'd like you all to put your headphones on now, please. Now, children, the things you will see." Mr Wagner said.

Eleanor put her headphones on over her blonde and pink hair, as did everyone else in the classroom.

Her eyes went wide as she saw the equations and symbols coming up on the screen. Of course she could do it, but she didn't want to.

She slowly took the headphones off, and walked out of the classroom, looking at the washed faces and blank expressions the children had.

She hadn't gone unnoticed, however, and Mr Wagner walked out after her.

"I felt ill." Eleanor lied to the teacher, after he tapped her shoulder.

"You are not permitted to leave, Time Lord." The man hissed. Eleanor squeaked a little, and ran way from the man and went straight to the Science section.

She ran into the Physics classroom, where the Doctor was teaching the first years.

"Um... Miss Thorn?" The Doctor asked, staring as his soul mate burst into the room, her chest heaving and her hair mussed up.

"Can I sit in here?" She asked. He nodded and she took a seat at the back, looking warily for any more people who might know what she was just by looking.

ELEANOR

In the staff room, the Doctor had allowed me to come in with him. The teachers had stared a little, but I explained that he was tutoring me.

I sat at a table, talking with the Doctor. I ignored the work sheets he had given me, and instead watched as he stood up and went to talk to other teachers.

The headmaster entered the room and ignored me.

"Excuse me colleagues. A moment of your time. May I introduce Miss Sarah Jane Smith. Miss Smith is a journalist who's writing a profile about me for the Sunday Times. I thought it might be useful for her to get a view from the trenches, so to speak. Dont' spare my blushes." Finch said, and left, leaving a brunette lady standing there.

I walked over to the Doctor at the same time as she did.

"Hello." She said to him.

"Oh, I should think so." The Doctor said, grinning scarily at the woman.

"And you are?" She asked.

"Hm? Er, Smith. John Smith. And this is my pupil, Eleanor Thorn." He said.

"John Smith. I used to have a friend who sometimes went by that name." She said sadly.

"It's a very common name." I said. "Nice to meet you." I said again, and she smiled and shook my hand.

"Polite school children, never thought I'd see the day." She laughed nervously. "And he was a very uncommon man." She told me, regarding John Smith.

"Nice to meet you both." She said.

"Nice to meet you. Yes, very nice. More than nice, brilliant." the Doctor said, grinning again.

I digged him. "What are you doing?" I asked, glaring at him.

"Er, so, er, have you worked here long?" She asked.

"No. It's only my second day." He said.

"Oh, so you're new then. So, what do you think of the school? I mean, this new curriculum? So many children getting ill. Doesn't that strike you as odd?" Miss Smith asked.

"You don't sound like someone just doing a profile." The Doctor said.

"Well, no harm in a little investigation while I'm here." She smirked.

"No. Good for you." The Doctor grinned. She smiled and walked away. "Good for you. Oh, good for you, Sarah Jane Smith."

I sighed and walked away from him, and to my next class.

That evening, we broke into school. I was finally allowed to dress in my regular clothes.

I wore dark skinny jeans, with a Strokes T-shirt and high collared unbuttoned denim shirt over the top.

"Oh, it's weird seeing school at night. It just feels wrong. When I was a kid, I used to think all the teachers slept in school." Rose said, I nodded.

"All right, team. Oh, I hate people who say team. Er, gang. Er, comrades. Anyway, Rose, go to the kitchen. Get a sample of that oil. Mickey, the new staff are all Maths teachers. Go and check out the Maths department. Me and El will look in Finch's office. Be back here in ten minutes." He said.

We walked away, my hands shoved into my pockets, his swinging by his sides. I longed to hold his, but we were on a mission.

We had gone into the TARDIS, I wanted to change my shoes. If we had to run I didn't want to run in flats.

"Will you hurry up..." He moaned, dancing on his toes as I put my converse on.

"Patience." I warned him.

We walked out the TARDIS into the storeroom.

"Hello, Sarah Jane." The Doctor said.

"It's you. Oh, Doctor oh, my God. It's you, isn't it? You've regenerated." Sarah Jane moaned. I popped out from behind the Doctor.

"Yeah. Half a dozen times since we last met." He said.

"You look incredible." She said.

"Hey!" I growled. The Doctor turned and looked at me. He looked shocked by something he saw, but soon concealed his shock.

"So do you." He replied.

"And Eleanor. What are you doing here?" She asked.

"I'm his soul mate." I growled. She stared at me, looking right into my eyes. The Doctor was doing the same. I ignored them.

"UFO sighting, school gets record results. I couldn't resist. What about you?" The Doctor asked.

"The same. I thought you'd died. I waited for you and you didn't come back. I thought you must've died." Sarah Jane said.

"I lived. Everyone else died." The Doctor said with no emotion.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"Everyone died, Sarah."

"I can't believe it's you." She whispered. I sighed and walked off, leaving them to it.

I heard a scream. Mickey's to be precise.

"Did you hear that?" Rose rushed up and asked me. "Who's she?"

"Sarah Jane Smith." I spat.

"Rose, Sarah Jane. Sarah Jane, Rose." The Doctor introduced.

"Hi. Nice to meet you. You can tell you're getting older. Your assistants keep getting younger." Sarah Jane said, with a fake smile, glaring at both me and Rose.

"I'm not his assistant." Rose said.

"I'm his fiancee." I said, flashing my ring at her and watching as she froze. Rose smiled at me, smug.

"Get you tiger." Sarah Jane said to me, and I growled under my breath.

We rushed into a classroom, where Mickey looked panicked.

"Sorry! Sorry, it was only me. You told me to investigate, so I started looking through some of these cupboards and all of these fell on me." Mickey said, looking disgusted.

"Oh, my God. They're rats. Dozens of rats. Vacuum packed rats." Rose said.

"And you decided to scream." The Doctor said.

"It took me by surprise!" Mickey defended.

"Like a little girl?" I asked.

"It was dark! I was covered in rats!"

"Nine, maybe ten years old. I'm seeing pigtails, frilly skirt." the Doctor said.

"Hello, can we focus? Does anyone notice anything strange about this? Rats, in school?" Rose demanded.

"Well, obviously they use them in Biology lessons. They dissect them. Or maybe you two haven't reached that bit that? How old are you?" Sarah Jane asked.

"No Grandma!" I said, sticking up for Rose. "No one dissects rats in school anymore. And actually, I'm older than you. So maybe you should stick to what you know." I spat.

"Anyway, moving on. Everything started when Mister Finch arrived. We should go and check his office." The Doctor interrupted.

"Nice." Rose whispered.

As we walked, Rose and I caught up with Sarah. "Not to be rude or anything, but who exactly are you?" I asked.

"Sarah Jane Smith. I used to travel with the Doctor."

"Oh. Hm, he's never mentioned you." Rose said.

"Oh, I must've done. Sarah Jane. Mention her all the time." The Doctor said.

"Hold on. Sorry. Never." I said.

"What, not even once? He didn't mention me even once?" Sarah asked.

"Ho, ho, mate. The missus and the ex. Welcome to every man's worst nightmare." Mickey laughed.

We walked to the head masters office and stopped.

"Maybe those rats were food." The Doctor said.

"Food for what?" Rose asked. The Doctor unlocked the door with his sonic and we walked in.

"Rose, you know you used to think all the teachers slept in the school? Well, they do." The Doctor said.

I looked up, and saw huge bats hanging from the ceiling.

"No way!" Mickey said, and he ran out the room. We all followed. "I am not going back in there. No way." He said, as we left school.

"Those were teachers." Rose said.

"When Finch arrived, he brought with him seven new teachers, four dinner ladies and a nurse. Thirteen. Thirteen big bat people. Come on." The Doctor said, and grabbed my hand, probably to stop me launching another attack on Grandma.

"Come on? You've got to be kidding!" Mickey exclaimed.

"I need the TARDIS. I've got to analyse that oil from the kitchen."

"I might be able to help you there. I've got something to show you." Smith said.

She opened her car boot.

"K9! Eleanor Thorn, Rose Tyler, Mickey Smith, allow me to introduce K9. Well, K9 Mark Three to be precise."

"Why does he look so disco?" Rose asked.

"Oi! Listen, in the year five thousand, this was cutting edge. What's happened to him?" The Doctor asked.

"Oh, one day, he just, nothing." Sarah said.

"Well, didn't you try and get repaired?"

"Well, it's not like getting the parts for a Mini Metro. Besides, the technology inside him could rewrite human science. I couldn't show him to anyone." She defended.

"Ooh, what's the nasty lady done to you?" The Doctor asked, stroking the metal dog.

"Look, no offence but could you two just stop petting for a minute? Never mind the tin dog. We're busy." Rose said.

We walked into a cafe, where the Doctor and Sarah Jane put K9 on a table. Rose and Mickey stood by the counter, ordering food.

Love Will Tear Us Apart by Joy Division played on the radio.

"I thought of you on Christmas day. This Christmas just gone? Great big spaceship overhead. I thought, oh yeah, bet he's up there." She said.

"Right on top of it, yeah." The Doctor said.

"And the girls?" Sarah Jane asked, glaring at me.

"They were there too. El actually killed the leader." The Doctor said, trying to fix the dog.

"Did I do something wrong? Because you never came back for me. You just dumped me." Sarah Jane asked.

"I told you. I was called back home and in those days, humans weren't allowed." The Doctor said.

"I waited for you. I missed you." Sarah Jane said. I snorted.

"Please." I muttered.

"And just who are you?" Sarah asked, turning on me.

"Amaryllis. My actual Time Lord name. You know, because I'm a Time Lord." I said. I'd been waiting to say that for a while.

"You're a Time Lord?" She gasped. I nodded, triumphant. The Doctor coughed.

"You didn't need me. You were getting on with life." The Doctor said.

" You were my life. You know what the most difficult thing was? Coping with what happens next, or with what doesn't happen next. You took me to the furthest reaches of the galaxy, you showed me supernovas, intergalactic battles, and then you just dropped me back on Earth. How could anything compare to that?"

I had to admit, I felt a twinge of sorrow to her.

"All those things you saw, do you want me to apologise for that?" The Doctor asked.

"No, but we get a taste of that splendour and then we have to go back."

"Look at you, you're investigating. You found that school. You're doing what we always did."

I stood up and walked away, joining Rose and Mickey as they sat on their own table.

"Getting to much for ya?" Rose asked. I nodded.

"I didn't think I'd ever have to do anything like this." I said. I turned to look at them laughing, and I growled again. I turned around again.

"Uh... El. Your eyes are purple." Mickey said. I frowned and looked in a mirror on the wall. Sure enough, my eyes were bright purple with pink speckles in.

"What.." I muttered.

"Rose, give us the oil." The Doctor called over. Rose stood up and gave him a test tube of oil.

"I wouldn't touch it, though. That dinner lady got all scorched." Rose said.

"I'm no dinner lady. And I don't often say that." The Doctor said, looking at me and smiling warmly. I assumed my eyes were back to normal, or he wouldn't have smiled.

I walked over, as did Mickey.

The Doctor smeared some of the oil onto K9's probe.

"Here we go. Come on boy, here we go."

"Oil. Ex ex ex extract. Ana ana analysing." The dog stuttered.

"Listen to him, man. That's a voice." Mickey laughed.

"Careful. That's my dog." Sarah Jane warned.

"Confirmation of analysis. Substance is Krillitane Oil." The dog said.

"They're Krillitanes." I said.

"Is that bad?" Rose asked.

"Very. Think of how bad things could possibly be, and add another suitcase full of bad." The Doctor said.

"And what are Krillitanes?" Sarah Jane asked.

"They're a composite race. Just like your culture is a mixture of traditions from all sorts of countries, people you've invaded or have been invaded by." I explained.

"You've got bits of Vikings, bits of France, bits of whatever. The Krillitanes are the same. An amalgam of the races they've conquered. But they take the physical aspects as well. They cherry pick the best bits from the people they destroy. That's why I didn't recognise them. The last time I saw Krillitanes, they looked just like us except they had really long necks." The Doctor finished.

"What're they doing here?" Rose asked.

"It's the children. They're doing something to the children. You're not a pupil there anymore, El." The Doctor said.

The Doctor, Rose and I walked out of the coffee shop while the two Smiths carried K9 to the car.

"How many of us have there been travelling with you?" Rose asked.

"Does it matter?" The Doctor asked.

"Yeah, it does, if I'm just the latest in a long line." Rose said.

"As opposed to what?" The Doctor asked.

"I thought us three were. I obviously got it wrong. I've been to the year five billion, but this? Now this is really seeing the future. You just leave us behind. Is that what you're going to do with me?" Rose asked.

"No. Not to you." The Doctor said.

"But Sarah Jane? You were that close to her once, and now you never even mention her. Why not?" Rose demanded.

"I don't age. I regenerate. But humans decay. You wither and you die. Imagine watching that happen to someone who you." The Doctor said.

"What, Doctor?" Rose asked.

"You can spend the rest of your life with me, but I can't spend the rest of mine with you. That's why Eleanor and I have to stick together. We have to live on. It's the curse of the Time Lords."

The Doctor suddenly looked up, a Krillitane swooped down, we all ducked, with the Doctor guarding me with his body. It flew off.

"Was that a Krillitane?" Smith asked.

"But it didn't even touch her. It just flew off. What did it do that for?" Rose asked.  



	6. Sarah Jane Gets a Wedding Invitation

dalekbob - your reviews keep making me smile! Thank you x

It turns out the Doctor needed me to continue to be a student at the stupid school, to do inside jobs for him. So much for being concerned about my safety.

"Eleanor, Rose and Sarah, you go to the maths room. Crack open those computers, I need to see the hardware inside. Here, El." The Doctor said, and passed me his sonic.

"When can I get my own?" I asked, he smiled.

"When I feel like it." He smirked. I rolled my eyes.

"Mickey- surveillance. I want you outside."

"Just stand outside?" Mickey asked. Sarah Jane threw her car keys at him.

"Here, take these- you can keep K9 company." She said.

"Don't forget to leave the window open a crack." The Doctor smirked.

"But he's metal!" Mickey exclaimed.

"I didn't mean for him." I guffawed.

"What're you gonna do?" Rose asked.

"It's time I had a word with Mr Finch." The Doctor said. I rolled my eyes at his dramatic tone of voice, and us three girls skulked into the school. And I still had the itchy uniform on.

Sarah Jane crouched beneath one of the computers, trying to switch on the sonic. I however, was checking the software on the computer to check for anything suspicious.

"It's not working!" She exclaimed.

"Give it to me." I sighed, and I took the sonic from her, and rolled my eyes as I ducked beneath the desk.

"Used to work first time in my day." Sarah Jane said.

"It was a simpler time." I muttered. I turned the sonic on and held it to the back of the computer.

"Eleanor, can I give you a bit of advice?" Sarah Jane asked.

"I don't think I could stop you." I murmured.

"I know how intense a relationship with the Doctor can be, and I don't want you to feel I'm intruding-" She said.

"I don't think you're intruding. I'm not threatened by you. I'm the Doctor's soul mate; his only soul mate may I add. I'm engaged to him. We have a completely different relationship than you ever had." I snapped.

"Right. Good. Because, I'm not interested in picking up where we left off." She said.

"You couldn't anyway." I guffawed. Rose snorted and turned to her.

"What, you really don't want to continue travelling with him? With the big sad eyes and the robot dog?" Rose asked. I smiled to myself.

"I was just saying how hard it was adjusting to life back on Earth..." Sarah Jane said.

"The thing is... when you two met... they'd only just got rid of rationing. No wonder all that space stuff was a bit too much for ya." Rose snorted.

"I had no problem with space stuff. I saw things you wouldn't believe." She said. I walked over to her.

"I could list more things than you've ever seen in your life. Time Lord knowledge." I said, tapping my head.

"Mummies." Sarah Jane said.

"Ghosts." I counteracted.

"Robots. Lots of robots."

"Clockwork men. Plastic men. Star whale." I said.

"Daleks!" Sarah Jane exclaimed.

"Met the emperor." I snorted.

"Anti-Matter monsters."

"Gas masked zombies."

"Real living dinosaurs!" Sarah Jane exclaimed.

"Real living werewolf!"

"The Loch Ness Monster!"

"Really?" I asked. Sarah Jane put her hand over her mouth and shook her hand. Rose giggled and I smirked.

"Listen to you two. It's like me and my mate Shireen. The only time we fell out was over a man, and you're arguing over the Doctor." Rose said.

I sat on a desk, relaxed. I didn't completely like how Sarah Jane was flirting with the Doctor, but let's face it, she hadn't seen him for ages. If that happened to me I'd kill myself. AND we have a much stronger bond than they ever did. I couldn't even imagine how it must have felt to be left by him.

"With you, did he ever do that thing where he'd explain something at ninety miler per hour, and everyone would go 'what?' and he'd look at them like he'd dribbled down their shirt?" I asked.

"All the time!" Sarah Jane laughed, and I giggled.

"She's saying about other people dribbling because she does the exact same thing that he does." Rose interrupted, smirking at me.

"It seems like you two are a match made in heaven." Sarah Jane sighed. "I've never seen anyone have a relationship like that with the Doctor. Anyway. Does he still stroke bits of the TARDIS?"

"Yeah! Yeah! They both do!" Rose exclaimed, pointing to me. I shook my head.

"I do not!" I laughed, and the other two women laughed madly too.

The Doctor walked in. "How's it going?" He asked, and the sight of him caused us to laugh harder.

"What? Listen, I need to find out what's programmed inside these." He said. We ignored him and continued laughing.

"What? Stop it!" He said. I jumped off the desk and walked over to him, and chucked his cheek.

All of a sudden, loads of children piled into the classroom.

"No, no... this classroom's out of bounds. You've all gotta go to the South Hall. Off you go, South Hall!" Rose exclaimed, and shooed the kids away. I shut the door behind them.

The Doctor had the sonic between his teeth, and he ripped a handful of wires out of the computer and gave them to me. He then ran the sonic along the back of the computer.

"I can't shift it." He complained to me,

"I thought the sonic screwdriver could open anything!" Sarah Jane exclaimed.

"Anything except a deadlock seal." The Doctor said.

"And wood." I added.

"There's gotta be something inside here. What're they teaching those kids?"

"Oh yeah... I meant to mention that." I said, remembering the program they had made the kids do. With the symbols and equations. "Oh, look there it is." I said, as every computer displayed the program, including the large drop down screen at the front of the classroom.

"Some sort of code..." The Doctor said.

"That's what I thought. It's why I came into your classroom yesterday." I told him.

"No... no, they can't be..." The Doctor muttered, his eyes wide and mouth slightly open.

"Is it... is it the Skasis Paradigm?" I asked. He nodded slowly.

"They're trying to crack it." He said.

"The Skasis what?" Sarah Jane asked.

"The... God maker. The universal theory. Crack that equation and you've got control of the building blocks of the universe. Time and space and matter, yours to control." The Doctor explained.

"What, and the kids are like a giant computer?" Rose asked.

"Yes." I replied.

"And their learning power is being accelerated by the oil! That oil from the kitchens, it works as a- a... conducting agent. Makes the kids cleverer." The Doctor said.

"But the oil's on the chips. I've been eating them." Rose said.

"What's fifty nine times thirty five?" I asked.

"Two thousand and sixty five." Rose said, and I raised my eyebrows at her surprised face.

"Oh my God..." Rose said.

"But why use children? Can't they use adults?" Sarah Jane asked.

"No, it's gotta be children. The God-maker needs imagination to crack it. They're not just using the children's brains to break the code... they're using their souls." The Doctor said.

"Let the lesson begin." Mr Finch said, as he walked into the classroom.

"Think of it Doctor, with the Paradigm solved, relating becomes clay in our hands. We can shape the universe and improve it." Finch said.

"Oh yeah? The whole of creation with the face of Mr Finch." I sneered.

"Aren't you a student?" He asked. I nodded.

"I'm rebellious." I said.

"You're Time Lord." He accused, I nodded again.

"You two act like such radicals, and yet all the want to do is preserve the old order. Think of the changes that could be made if this power was used for good." Finch said.

"What, by someone like you?" The Doctor asked.

"No... People like you two." Finch replied. "The Paradigm gives us power, but you could give us wisdom. Become a God. At my side. Imagine what you could do- think of the civilizations you could save. Perganon, Assinta, your own people, Doctor. Standing tall. The Time Lord's... reborn." Finch said.

The Doctor and I said nothing, simply stared at Finch.

"Doctor, El, don't listen to him." Sarah Jane said.

"And you could be with him for eternity... Young.. Fresh... Never wither, never age, never die. Their lives are so fleeting. So many goodbyes. How lonely you must be, Doctor and Eleanor. Join us." Finch said.

We both had faraway looks in our eyes, we were sorely tempted.

"I could save everyone..." The Doctor said.

"Yes."

"We could stop the war." I whispered. "My parents..." A smile graced Finch's lips.

"No. The universe has to move forward. Pain and loss- they define us as much as happiness or love." Sarah Jane said. "Whether it's a world, or a relationship, everything has it's time. And everything ends."

Her words strengthened our resolve. The Doctor gritted his teeth, picked up a chair and launched it through the drop down screen displaying the code, which smashed.

"Out!"

We joined Mickey and a young boy at the bottom of the stairs.

"What is going on?" Mickey asked.

Three Krillitane's groped their way through the corridors to us. We turned on our heels and ran in the opposite direction. We ran into the dining hall, and tried the doors on the other side. They were locked. The Doctor reached in his pocket for the sonic, but Finch burst through the doors followed by Krillitanes.

"Are they my teachers?" The boy asked.

"Yeah. Sorry." I said. He smiled at me. "You're pretty." He said.

"Probably not the time." I muttered.

"Leave the Doctor and Eleanor alive. As for the others... you can feast." Finch demanded.

The Krillitanes swooped down onto us. The Doctor tried to fight them off with a chair. The others screamed and tried to duck out of the way. Suddenly, one of the Krillitanes was hit by a beam of red light and fell to the floor, dead. K9. Finch roared with anger.

"K9!" Sarah Jane exclaimed, grinning.

"Suggest you engage running mode, mistress." K9 said. I giggled.

"Come on!" The Doctor said. "K9, hold them back!"

"Affirmative, master. Maximum defense mode!"

We reached the door, and the Doctor ushered us through.

"Come on!"

He slammed the door shut and locked it with the sonic.

In the Physics lab, the Doctor had an epiphany.

"It's the oil. Krillitane life forms can't handle the oil! That's it! They've changed the physiology so often, either their own oil is toxic to them. How much was there in the kitchens?" He asked.

"Barrels of it." Rose informed him.

We all jumped as the Krillitanes pounded on the door, their claws digging violently into the wood.

"Okay, we need to get to the kitchens. Mickey-"

"What now, hold the coats?" Mickey asked.

"Get all the children unplugged and out of the school. Now then, bats, bats, bats, how do we fight bats?"

The young boy, who I learnt that his name was Kenny, walked over to the fire alarm, and broke the glass with his elbow. The alarm whooped out loudly. The Krillitanes winced at the shrill noise.

I beamed at the boy, who smiled back, staring slightly at me. The Doctor flung the door open, and the Krillitanes were in too much distress to stop or kill us.

We quickly ran past. Finch gritted his teeth, and punched through a wall, grabbing a bundle of wires which cut off the alarm.

We legged it down a corridor, where K9 emerged from a doorway,

"Master!"

"Come on, boy. Good boy." The Doctor said.

K9 followed us as we continued to run.

In the kitchens, the Doctor held his sonic out to the barrels.

"They've been deadlock sealed!"

"Finch must've done that." I said.

"The vats would not withstand a direct hit from my laser. But my batteries are failing." K9 said.

"Right. Everyone out the back door. K9, stay with me." The Doctor said.

We all ran out of the back door. The Doctor ran out a minute later.

"Where's K9?" Sarah Jane asked urgently.

"We need to run." The Doctor said, grabbing my hand and running with me.

"Where is he? What've you done?" Sarah Jane demanded, not moving. The Doctor grabbed her hand too, and pulled her away.

We ran out just in time to see the school explode. The children sprinted out of school, screaming and bursting into cheer and applause. We all joined in, Rose, Mickey and I grinned manically at the happy kids.

"Yes!" Kenny said, as I walked over to join him.

"Do you have something to do with it?" A girl asked.

"Yeah, I did." Kenny replied.

The girl's mouth dropped open and I grinned.

"Oh my God. Kenny blew up the school! It was Kenny!" She shouted, and I walked away from the kids.

The Doctor, Sarah Jane and I walked up to the TARDIS.

"Cuppa tea?" He asked. We walked into the TARDIS, and she stared at the interior. I shut the door behind us.

"You've redecorated!" She exclaimed, and I giggled.

"Do you like it?" The Doctor asked.

"Oh, I, I do. Yeah. I preferred it as it was, but uh... yeah. It'll do!" She exclaimed.

"I love it." Rose said, joining us.

"Hey you- what's forty seven times three hundred and sixty nine?" Sarah Jane asked Rose.

"No idea. It's gone now. The oil's faded." Rose said.

"But you're still clever. More than a match for him."

"You and me both." Rose smiled. "And Eleanor's just dumb." She joked. I rolled my eyes. I joined the Doctor as he hunched over the consoles. I looked at what he was doing and smiled.

"Doctor...?" Rose asked.

"Uh... we're about to head off. But... you could come with us." The Doctor said.

Rose looked at her expectantly.

"No... I can't do this anymore." Sarah Jane smiled. "Besides, I've got a much bigger adventure ahead! Time I stopped waiting for you and found a life of my own."

"Can I come?" Mickey asked. Sarah Jane looked shocked. "No, not with you. I mean.. with you." He said, gesturing to me and the Doctor.

"'Cause I'm not the tine dog... and I wanna see what's out there."

"Oh, go on Doctor. Sarah Jane Smith- a Mickey Smith. You need a Smith on board!"

"Okay, then. I could do with a laugh." The Doctor said. I watched as Rose rolled her eyes. Mickey laughed in delight, causing me to do the same. He stopped however, when he saw Rose's face drop.

"Rose, is that okay?" Mickey asked.

"No, great. Why not?" Rose asked, sarcastically.

"Well, I'd better go." Sarah Jane said after an awkward silence.

She took Rose aside, and the Doctor and I both turned to the console. He was making her a new K9.

As Sarah Jane said goodbye to Rose, she took me to one side too.

"I've never seen such love in someone's eyes before as when I look at him when he looks at you. You're a unique girl, Eleanor. Amaryllis. Make sure you don't lose him. And invite me to the wedding, please do. I'd love to see it. No doubt he'd forget." She said, laughing gently.

"Don't worry, you'll be one of the first I invite." I assured her, and engulfed her in a hug.

"I look forward for the invitation." She smiled, and kissed my cheek. "Bye."

"Bye Sarah Jane." I said. She then left the TARDIS, and the Doctor followed. I decided to let them have their goodbye.

*

The Doctor walked back into the TARDIS, sadly. I walked over and embraced him.

"Everything will be okay." I assured him, and he took my left hand and kissed it gently.

Okay, so the next chapter is where it gets really odd. I'm going to explain it now, because there won't be a chance to in the next one.

The Girl In the Fireplace.

Amaryllis was put into the Chameleon Arch to turn her into a human. Only, she wasn't only one human, if that makes sense. There's been numerous Eleanor's... including Reinette de Pompadour. Yep... that's right. She lives, she meets the Doctor and she dies. Of course, she doesn't know who the Doctor is... and he doesn't know either until he realises later on when she signs off a letter with the name 'Amaryllis'.

If you're confused by this... please let me know. I'm really excited to write this though.

-Fay x 


	7. Little Queen

3RD PERSON

"It's a spaceship! Brilliant, I got a spaceship on my first go!" Mickey exclaimed.

"Looks kind of abandoned... Anyone on board?" Rose asked.

"Nah, nothing here. Well! Nothing dangerous. Well, not that dangerous!" The Doctor said, Eleanor shook her head at him, smiling to herself. "You know what, I'll just have a quick scan... in case there's anything dangerous."

Eleanor smirked as he walked over to a control panel in the centre of the room.

"So, what's the date? How far we gone?" Rose asked.

"About three thousand years into your future, give or take." the Doctor said. He pulled a switch and the lights turned on. The ceiling opened up, showing a spectacular view of the stars.

"Fifty first century. Diagmar Cluster, you're a long way from home Mickey!" Eleanor exclaimed. "Two and a half galaxies!"

"Mickey Smith, meet the universe. See anything you like?" Rose asked, joining Mickey at a porthole.

"It's so realistic!" He exclaimed. Eleanor rolled her eyes.

"Dear me, had some cowboys in here! Got a ton of repair work going on." The Doctor said. Eleanor nudged him and pointed to a screen with a diagram of the spaceship on the screen.

"Now that's odd. Look at that. All the warp engines are going... full capacity. There's enough power running through this ship to punch a hole through the universe... and we're not moving. So where's all that power going?" The Doctor asked.

"Where'd all the crew go?" Eleanor asked.

"Good question, no life readings on board."

"Well, we're in deep space. They didn't just nip out for a quick fag." Rose said. The Doctor took her seriously, much to Rose's dismay.

"Nope, checked all the smoking pods. Can you smell that?" He asked, sniffing the air.

"Yeah, someone's cooking." Rose said.

"Sunday roast, definitely!" Mickey exclaimed.

The Doctor pressed a button and a door opened behind them. They walked through the door and saw part of the wall and floor with 18th Century decor, with a lit fireplace.

"I've seen that fireplace before." Eleanor muttered, looking disturbed.

"Well, there's something you don't see in your average spaceship. Eighteenth century! French! Nice mantel!" The Doctor said, and pulled out his sonic and scanned it. "Not a hologram."

He bent down and examined it, and Eleanor did the same. Rose and Mickey walked off to explore the rest of the room.

"Not even a reproduction, this actually is an eighteenth century French fireplace. Double sided, there's another room through there." The Doctor said.

"There can't be, that's the outer hull of the ship, look." Rose said, looking out of a porthole.

The Doctor crouched down, looking through the fireplace, Eleanor did the same.

"Oh, my God. That's me!" Eleanor exclaimed, looking terrified

"No it's not." The Doctor assured her, looking oddly at his soul mate. "Hello!" He said to the young Reinette.

"Hello..." The girl replied.

"That's me." Eleanor muttered, horrified.

"What's your name?" The Doctor asked.

"Reinette." Eleanor and the girl said at the same time. The Doctor turned to look at Eleanor, confused, then turned back to the girl.

"Reinette, that's a lovely name. Can you tell me where you are at the moment, Reinette?" The Doctor asked.

"In my bedroom." Reinette replied, suspicious.

"And where's your bedroom? Where do you live Reinette?"

"Paris." Eleanor muttered.

"Paris, of course!" Reinette replied.

"Paris, right." The Doctor said.

"Monsieur, what are you doing in my fireplace?" Reinette asked.

"Oh, it's juat a routine... fire check. Can you tell me what year it is?"

"Of course I can! Seventeen hundred and twenty seven."

"Right, lovely! One of my favourites... August is rubbish though. Stay indoors. Okay, that's all for now. Thanks for your help. Night night!" the Doctor said and turned to Eleanor.

"How did you know that?" He asked sternly.

"Because that was me as a child." Eleanor insisted.

"But she's French. You're not French." He said.

"It must be me in another life. Chameleon Arch." Eleanor suggested, still looking concerned at the fireplace.

"You said this was the fifty first century." Mickey said.

"I also said this ship was generating enough power to punch a hole in the universe. I think we just found the hole. Must be a spatio-temporal hyperlink." The Doctor said. "Into Eleanor's past life it seems."

"What's that?" Mickey asked.

"No idea. Just made it up. Didn't wanna say Magic Door."

"And on the other side of the magic door, is France in 1727? With a past life of Eleanor, as a human, before she turned Time Lord?" Rose asked.

"Well, she was speaking French. Right period French, too." The Doctor said, holding Eleanor's shaking hand.

"She was speaking English, I heard her!" Mickey exclaimed.

Rose draped her arm around Mickey's neck as the Doctor and Eleanor walked back to the fireplace.

"That's the TARDIS- translates for ya."

"Even French?" Mickey asked.

"Yep." Rose replied.

The Doctor kneed the side of the fireplace and the wall rotated, with both him and Eleanor perched on it.

"Gotcha!" The Doctor exclaimed.

"Doctor!" Rose shouted.

Once the fireplace stopped moving, the Doctor and Eleanor found themselves in Reinette's bedroom, with her sleeping soundly in bed. The ticking of a clock can be heard and the Doctor wandered to the window. The Parisian skyline could be seen, and it was snowing.

Reinette's eyes shot open to see Eleanor stood, shaking a little, and the Doctor stood at the window. She sat up and the Doctor turned around.

"It's okay! Don't scream! It's me, it's the fireplace man. Look." He said. He walked to her and turned a candle on with his sonic.

"We were talking. Just a moment ago. I was in your fireplace." The Doctor said.

"I don't like this. I don't like remembering." Eleanor whimpered, and the Doctor looked at her, concerned.

"Monsieur! That was weeks ago, that was months!" Reinette said.

"Really? Oh!" the Doctor said, surprised.

He walked back to the fireplace, and knocked on the wood.

"Must be a loose connection. Need to get a man in." The Doctor said.

"Who are you? And what are you doing here?" Reinette asked. Eleanor whimpered, not enjoying being with her past and human self.

The Doctor stared at the mantel, his mouth open. The clock on the mantel was broken, but they could still hear a ticking sound.

"Okay, that's scary..." The Doctor said.

"I'm going." Eleanor said, and she nudged the fireplace with her knee and left, leaving the Doctor stood with Reinette still.

"Where did she go?" Reinette demanded. "And why are you scared of a broken clock?"

"She's gone out there. And just a bit scared, yeah. Just a little tiny bit. 'Cause you see, if this clock's broken, and it's the only clock in the room..." the Doctor said, turning to Reinette. "Then what's that?" He asked.

Reinette heard the ticking noise and turned, scared again.

"Cause you can see that's not a clock. You can tell by the resonance. Too big. Six feet, I'd say. Size of a man."

"What is it?" Reinette asked.

The Doctor looked behind the curtains, nothing.

"Now, let's think. If you were a thing that ticks and you were hiding in someone's bedroom, first thing you do: break the clock. No one notices the sound of one clock ticking, but two? You might start to wonder if you're really alone." The Doctor said, and he moved to the bed and crouched down.

"Stay on the bed, right in the middle. Don't put your hands or feet over the edge." He demanded, and he scanned under the bed with the sonic. Suddenly, a hand smacked the sonic out of his hand. Reinette gasped and the Doctor got back to his feet. A man was stood, wearing a typical aristocratic French mask and dress.

The Doctor stayed, crouching on the floor, looking at Reinette.

"Reinette... Don't look around." He whispered. "Hold still, let me look..." He said.

The Doctor stood up straight to look at the figure.

"You've been scanning her brain!" The Doctor exclaimed, after grasping Reinette's head and staring intently into her eyes.

Not only did he realise that Reinette's brain had been scanned, but he understood that Eleanor had been telling the truth. Reinette was half human and half Time Lord.

"What, you've crossed two galaxies and thousands of years just to scan a child's brain? What could there be in a little girl's mind worth blowing a hole in the universe?" The Doctor asked the man again.

"I don't understand... it wants me?" Reinette asked. She turned to the figure, and didn't even flinch. "You want me?"

The man's head twitched to the side and it spoke in a mechanical voice.

"Not yet. You are incomplete."

"Incomplete. What's that mean, incomplete?" The Doctor asked. The droid didn't answer, but simply stared at Reinette.

"You can answer her, you can answer me. What do you mean, incomplete?" The Doctor demanded.

The droid didn't answer, it simply walked to the Doctor, arm extended, and slid a blade dangerously close to the Doctor's head.

"Monsieur, be careful!" Reinette exclaimed.

"Just a nightmare, Elea... Reinette. Don't worry about it. Everyone has nightmares." The Doctor assured her.

The Doctor backed away, with the droid pursuing. It swiped at the Doctor, who leaped back, reaching the fireplace.

"Even monsters from under the bed have nightmares, don't you, monster?" The Doctor asked.

The droid slashed again, and the Doctor jumped aside, and the droid's blade hit the mantel, getting stuck.

"What do monsters have nightmares about?" Reinette asked.

"Me, ha!" The Doctor said, turning the mantel around. Reinette smiled as the Doctor and droid escaped from her bedroom.

"Doctor!" Rose exclaimed.

The Doctor grabbed a gun from the wall, and sprayed ice at the droid. It convulsed, and tried to free itself before completely freezing.

"Excellent, ice gun!" Mickey said. The Doctor threw the gun to Rose and turned to Eleanor.

"That's definitely you, from your past. Are you okay?" He asked, bending down to look at her.

She nodded. "I'm staying here. I find it too weird." She told him. He nodded and kissed her forehead.

"And it's not an ice gun. It's a fire extinguisher." The Doctor corrected.

"Where did that thing come from?" Rose asked, looking at the droid.

"Here." The Doctor said.

"So why is it dressed like that?" Mickey asked.

"Field trip to France, some kind of basic camouflage protocol. Nice needlework! Shame about the face." The Doctor said, and pulled the wig back to reveal a clockwork face.

REINETTE/ELEANOR'S POV

In my dream, I was first myself, Reinette De Pompadour. But my face convulsed and changed into the face of the young girl with blonde and pink hair that had been in my room oh so long ago now.

I was with the Doctor, my imaginary child hood friend. We were kissing, fighting, shouting, loving. My name was Eleanor, or Amaryllis. The Doctor changed too, so many faces for one man.

My mind flitted through ridiculous ideas, concepts of time travel, moving from one country to another in less than a second. Travelling to the end of the universe and back again in a minute. And I travelled with him, in the stars.

Eleanor loved it, but the concept terrified me.

I sat up in my bed, breathing heavily, sweat covering my body. I sighed and stood out of bed. I looked in the mirror, I was definitely Reinette.

I left to eat with mother, and I also changed into a long and flowing golden dress with beautiful blue bow detailing. My beautician tied my hair up onto the back of my head.

We were going out today.

I walked back into my red and gold bedroom, and noticed the man from my dreams playing on my harp. I paused, and he didn't notice me until I cleared my throat.

"Oh! Hello!" He exclaimed.

My Doctor. My dream somehow told me that he and I were supposed to be, forever bound together in an impossible love.

He put away his glasses, and his eyes kept being drawn to my chest. I pretended not to notice. I was obviously distracting him.

"Um, I was looking for Reinette. Uh, this is still her room, isn't it? I've been away, not sure how long." He rambled. I smirked.

"Reinette! We're ready to go!" My mother called.

"Go to the carriage, mother, I will join you there!" I called.

A marvelling grin appeared on my loves face.

"It is customary, I think, to have an imaginary friend only during one's childhood. You are to be congratulated on your persistence." I teased.

"Reinette...!" He marvelled. I smiled at him. "Well.." He said, and swallowed loudly. "Goodness, look how you've grown."

"And you do not appear to have aged a single day. That is tremendously impolite of you." I said, approaching him.

"Right... Yes... Sorry. Um.. um.. um.. listen, lovely to catch up, but er, better be off, eh? Don't want your mother finding you up here with a strange man, do we?" He asked.

"Strange? How could you be a stranger to me? You're the Doctor... my lonely Time Lord." I said. His eyes turned wide and he stared at me as I smirked.

"Yeah..." He said, and he shook his head. "I came the quick route." He said. I touched his cheek, his eyes widened further.

"Well, you seem to be flesh and blood, at any rate, but this is absurd. Reason tells me you cannot be real." I said.

"Oh, pfft... You never want to listen to reason, Eleanor." He said, and grimaced as he realised what he said. I smirked once more.

"That's my future name." I told him.

"How do you know that?" He whispered.

"I had a dream." I informed him.

"Mademoiselle! Your mother grows impatient!" A servant called to me.

"A moment!" I shouted back, annoyed. I looked back at my Doctor. "So many questions. So little time." I said, and I pulled him towards me and kissed him passionately. We stumbled backwards into the mantelpiece as he started to kiss me back. The wonders of kissing.

"Mademoiselle Poisson!" The Servant shouted.

I broke from the kiss and rushed from the door, grabbing my purse from the vanity table without even looking at the man.

3RD PERSON

"Poisson? Reinette Poisson?" The Doctor asked, unbelieving.

Not only was he shocked at how beautiful the past Eleanor was, she almost rivalled the present Eleanor.. but he was also shocked at how his soul mate was Reinette Poisson! He also didn't understand how she knew, and wondered if Eleanor remembered the experience.

"No... no, no, no, no, no way, Reinette Poisson?" The Doctor asked the bemused looking servant. "Later Madame Etoiles? Later still mistress of Louis the Fifteenth, uncrowned Queen of France? Actress, artist, musician, dancer, courtesan? Fantastic gardener!" He said, pacing the room, laughing and returning to the fireplace.

"Who the hell are you?" The servant demanded.

The Doctor found the trigger on the mantel, and grinning, he pressed it.

"I'm the Doctor. And I just snogged my future wife, Madame de Pompadour!" He exclaimed, giddy, and the fireplace rotated as he laughed manically.

"El." He said, rushing over. "You were Reinette Poisson!" He exclaimed. Eleanor nodded, sadly.

"Yep." She said.

He smiled incredulously. "I don't believe it." He marvelled.

"I didn't know how much it would hurt the future me when I kissed you in there." Eleanor said, pointing into the room.

"Oh.. But that was you! I just kissed you." The Doctor said, worried that he had angered Eleanor.

"I know." Eleanor assured him, smiling gently. "It doesn't stop it hurting, though."

"Oh, darling." He said, and pressed his lips onto hers fiercly, forgetting all about Reinette.  



	8. Eleanor Feels Inadequate

The Doctor stood after embracing Eleanor, and looked around for Rose and Mickey.

"Rose! Mickey?" He called.

"They left." Eleanor said, not looking around.

"Every time, every time, it's rule one- don't wander off! I tell them, I do, rule one! There could be anything on this ship!" He exclaimed, pacing the room. Eleanor joined him and they walked and corridor.

As they turned a corner, a large white horse stood in their way.

"I hate horses." Eleanor snapped.

"It likes you." The Doctor told her, as it nudged her. Eleanor melted, and stroked the horse gently.

They walked down corridors after corridor.

"Rose!" The Doctor called, childlike. The horse followed them.

Eleanor turned around, irritated.

"Will you stop following me? I'm not your mother!" Eleanor exclaimed.

The horse nosed her again, and the Doctor moved away after seeing French double doors.

"So this is where you came from, eh, horsey?" The Doctor asked. "You coming El?"

"I'd rather not." She said, and plonked herself on the floor to wait for him.

REINETTE/ELEANOR

I was walking through the vast gardens, arm in arm with Catherine. We both had parasols due to the hot sun beating down on us.

"Oh, Catherine, you are too wicked!" I exclaimed, giggling. I suddenly turned round, thinking I saw someone in the corner of my eye.

"Oh, speaking of wicked, I hear Madame de Chateneux is ill and close to death." Catherine said. I turned back around.

"Yes. I am devastated." I said rather sarcastically, but couldn't hold back my laughter.

"Oh, indeed. I myself am frequently inconsolable." Catherine giggled. "The King will therefore be requiring a new mistress. You love the King, of course?"

"He is the King. And I love him with all my heart. And I look forward to meeting him." I told her seriously. Catherine laughed, and I turned around again. I acted as if I hadn't seen the Doctor hiding behind pillars from me. I smirked and turned back around. He was following me.

"Is something wrong, my dear?" Catherine asked.

"Not wrong, no." I replied. We paused, and we soon linked arms again.

"Every woman in Paris knows your ambitions." Catherine accused.

"Every woman in Paris shares them." I reasoned.

"You know of course that the King is to attend the Yew Tree Ball?" Catherine asked.

Eleanor sat waiting. Little did the Doctor know, but Eleanor was looking through the double doors, watching him acting like a lovesick teenager around her former self.

Despite knowing that it was her, with her thoughts and deep personality, it still hurt. Eleanor decided that she couldn't watch for longer, and she led the horse away from the double doors.

She quickly found Rose and Mickey and joined in their conversation.

They were stood, looking into a window that allowed them to view a luxurious 18th Century room.

"It's France again. We can see France." Mickey said.

"I think we're looking through a mirror." Rose said.

"It's a mirror to where I used to spend a lot of my time." Eleanor whispered.

"How are you?" Rose asked sympathetically

"Fine. The Doctor keeps flirting with my former self. I know it's actually me, but he's not engaged to her. He's engaged to me." Eleanor sighed. Rose shook her head.

"I'll be having words." She said, and Eleanor laughed nervously.

The room opened and the King entered with servants. Eleanor's breath hitched in her throat. She had once loved this man,

"Blimey, look at this guy. Who does he think he is?" Mickey asked.

"King of France." The Doctor said, walking up behind them.

"Oh, here's trouble. What you been up to?" Rose demanded.

"Oh, this and that. Became the imaginary friend of the former Eleanor, the French aristocrat.. picked a fight with a clockwork man..." The Doctor said. Eleanor refused to look at him.

The horse, whom Eleanor had christened Arthur, whinnied from around the corner.

"I acquired a horse." Eleanor said.

"What's a horse doing on a spaceship?" Mickey asked.

"Mickey, what's pre-Revolutionary France doing on a spaceship? Get a little perspective." The Doctor said. He placed a hand on the small of Eleanor's back, but she shrugged it off. He looked down at her, confused. Rose shook her head.

"See these? They're all over the place. On every deck. Gateways to Eleanor's history." The Doctor said, pointing to the mirror/window. Reinette entered the room, and Eleanor looked down.

"Time windows.. deliberately arrnaged along the life of a particular half Time Lord woman. A spaceship from the Fifty First Century stalking a woman from the Eighteenth. Why?" The Doctor asked.

"Who exactly was Eleanor?" Rose asked.

"Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson, known to her friends as Reinette. One of the most accomplished women who ever lived." The Doctor said, smiling fondly at Eleanor.

"So has she got plans of being the Queen then?" Rose asked.

"He's already got a Queen. I planned on being his mistress." Eleanor laughed gently.

"Oh, I get it. Camilla." Rose laughed, and Eleanor giggled too. The Doctor looked sadly at the King, jealous that he got to love former Eleanor.

"I think this is the night they met. The night of the Yew Tree Ball. In no time at flat, she'll get herself established as his official mistress, with her own rooms at the palace... even her own title- Madame de Pompadour."

"Queen must have loved you, El." Rose said.

"Oh she did. We got on very well." Eleanor sighed.

"The King's wife and the King's girlfriend?" Mickey asked.

"France. It's a different planet." The Doctor said.

They heard ticking noises and the Doctor spotted a shattered clock on the mantelpiece.

Reinette heard too and turned, eyes wide with fear.

"How long have you been standing there?" She asked the droid. "Show yourself!"

The Doctor grabbed a fire extinguisher from Mickey and swung the mirror around and stepped into Reinette's world.

"Hello Reinette, hasn't time flown?" He asked.

"Fireplace man!" Reinette smiled. Eleanor walked into the room too and Reinette gasped. "You were in my dream... The future me.. lover of the Fireplace man!" She exclaimed.

"Hello you." Eleanor smiled fondly at her past self. The Doctor sprayed the droid until it froze completely. It started to click and whir.

"What's it doing?" Mickey asked.

"Switching back on. Melting the ice." The Doctor replied.

"And then what?"

"And then it kills everyone in the room." The Doctor said, and he leaped back as the droid's arm nearly hit his throat.

"Focuses the mind, doesn't it? Who are you? Identify yourself." The Doctor demanded. The droid cocked its head but didn't answer.

"Order it to answer me." The Doctor asked Reinette.

"Why should it listen to me?" Reinette asked.

"I don't know. It did when you were a child. Let's see if you've still got it." Eleanor said. Reinette looked at Eleanor, as if she couldn't quite believe she was seeing her in the flesh.

"Answer his question. Answer any and all questions put to you." Reinette said to the droid.

"I am repair droid seven." The droid said.

"so what happened to the ship then? There was a lot of damage." The Doctor said.

"Ion storm, eighty two percent systems failure."

"That ship hasn't moved in over a year.. What's taken you so long?"

"We did not have the parts." The droid replied, and Eleanor recognised that phrase from her encounter with Marie Antoinette.

"Always comes down to that, doesn't it? The parts?" Mickey laughed.

"What's happened to the crew, where are they?"

"We did not have the parts."

"There should have been over fifty people on your ship. Where did they go?" The Doctor asked.

"We did not have the parts." The droid insisted.

"Fifty people don't just disappear! Where-" It dawned on him. "Oh. You didn't have the parts, so you used the crew."

"The crew?" Mickey asked.

"We found a camera with an eye in it... and there was a heart... wired into the machinery." Rose said sadly.

"It was just what it was programmed to do. Repairing the ship any way it can, with whatever it could find. No one told it the crew weren't on the menu. What did you say the flight deck smelt of?" The Doctor asked.

"Someone cooking..." Rose said.

"Flesh plus heat. Barbeque." The Doctor said. Reinette looked sick.

"But what are you doing here? You've opened up time windows, that takes colossal energy. Why come here, you could have gone to your repair yard. Instead you come to eighteenth century France? Why?" The Doctor asked.

"One more part is required." The Droid replied, and it jerked to Reinette.

"Then why haven't you taken it?" Eleanor asked.

"She is incomplete." The Droid replied.

"What... so, that's the plan then? Just keep opening up more and more time windows, scanning her brain, checking to see if she's 'done yet'?"

"Why her?" Rose asked. "You've got all of history to choose from, why specifically her?"

"We are the same." The Droid replied.

"We are not the same!" Reinette and Eleanor exclaimed at the same time.

"We are the same." The Droid insisted.

"Get out of here! Get out of here this instance!" Reinette exclaimed.

"Reinette, no." The Doctor said, and the Droid teleported away.

"It's back on the ship. Eleanor, take Rose, Mickey and the horse.."

"It's called Arthur." Eleanor interrupted.

"Okay... Take Rose, Mickey and Arthur, get after it. Follow it, don't approach it. Just watch what it does."

"Arthur?" Rose asked.

"Good name for a horse." Eleanor said.

"No, you're not keeping the horse!" Rose said, exasperated.

"She can! I let you keep Mickey." The Doctor said, and Eleanor led them away.

The Doctor turned to Reinette.

"Reinette, you're going to have to trust me. I need to find out what they're looking for, there's only one way I can do that. Won't hurt a bit."

Reinette nodded and the Doctor placed his fingers on her temples and closed his eyes, as did Reinette.

"Fireplace man... you are inside my mind." Reinette said.

"Oh dear, Reinette. You've had some cowboys in here." The Doctor said.

"You are in my memories. You walk among them." Reinette said.

"If there's anything you don't want me to see, just imagine a door and close it. I won't look. Ooh.. actually... there's a door just there."

Reinette grinned slyly.

"You might want to clo- ohh. Actually, several." The Doctor said.

"To walk among the memories of another living soul... do you ever get used to this?" Reinette asked.

"I don't make a habit of it." The Doctor replied.

"How can you resist?"

"What age are you?"

"So impertinent a question so early in the conversation. How promising." Reinette smirked.

"No, not my question. Theirs. You're twenty three and for some reason, that means you're not old enough." The Doctor said, and Reinette flinched.

"Sorry, you might find old memories reawakening. Side effect." The Doctor said.

"Oh, such a lonely childhood..." Reinette said.

"It'll pass, stay with me."

"Oh, Doctor. So lonely. So very, very alone." She whispered.

"What do you mean, alone? You've never been alone in your life"

His eyes snapped open.

"When did you start calling me 'Doctor'?" He asked.

"Such a lonely boy. Lonely then and not lonely now. You really love her, don't you?" She asked, and opened her eyes. "How can you bear such a love like that?"

"How did you do that? And that's the future you, that I'm in love with." He said, stepping away from her. He wanted to make sure that she knew that his priority was Eleanor.

"A door, once opened, can be stepped through in either direction..." She said, and the Doctor stared at her.

"Oh, Doctor. Dance with me." She said.

"I can't." The Doctor said warningly.

"Dance with me." She insisted. "Eleanor is your soul mate, is she not? Dance with the past Eleanor."

"This is the night you dance with the King."

"Then first, Eleanor and I shall make him jealous." She replied, smirking.

"I can't." The Doctor said.

"Doctor... Doctor who?" Reinette asked sadly. "It's more than just a secret, isn't it?"

"What did you see?" The Doctor asked.

"That there comes a time, Time Lord, when every little boy must learn how to dance." Reinette replied.

She smiled and took his hand, taking him away.

The Doctor couldn't stop thinking of Eleanor. 


	9. If It's A Lie, The Truths Not Far Behind

ELEANOR

I woke up, bleary eyed and achey. I heard a loud ticking, and sat up slightly, only to find that I was bound to an operating table.

I looked up and saw a few droid's staring at me.

"Doctor?" I called.

"El. Are you okay?" I heard Rose asked. I turned towards her voice, she looked manically at me.

"Yeah. Are you? Where's Mickey?" I asked.

"I'm fine."

"I'm right here." Mickey said. "El? They're gonna chop us up. Just like the crew- they're gonna chop us up and stick us all over their stupid spaceship. And where's the Doctor? Where's your precious Doctor now? He's been gone for hours, that's where he is!" Mickey complained.

"He's with her." I whispered, closing my eyes in pain.

Despite knowing that he was really with me, I despised the thought of him spending time with that beautiful woman.

A droid walked over to both Rose and I.

"You are compatible." The droid said to both of us.

"Well... you... might wanna think about that. You really, really might because... me, El and Mickey... we didn't come here alone! Oh no! And trust me- you wouldn't wanna mess with our designated driver-" Rose said, and was interrupted by the droid shoving a lethal blade in front of her face.

"Ever heard of the Daleks? Remember them? They had a name for our friend. They had myths about him, and a name. They called him the..." Rose said, but was interrupted by a loud banging and a drunk singing.

"I could've danced all night, I could have danced all night.." The Doctor sang.

"They called him the- they called him the- the-" Rose said, distracted.

The Doctor staggered into the room, dancing with an imaginary partner, wearing sunglasses and a tie around his head.

"And still have begged for mooooore... I couldn't spread my wings and done a thou... have you met the French?" The Doctor asked, and walked over to me and kissed my hand.

"My... God, they know how to party." He told me.

"Oh, look at what the cat dragged in. The Oncoming Storm." I spat.

"Oh, you sound like my mother." The Doctor told me. I glared at him and he backed off.

"What've you been doing? Where've you been?" Rose asked.

"Dancing with Eleanor.." The Doctor said. "And... I think I just invented to banana daiquiri a few centuries early. Do you know, they've never even seen a banana before?" He asked, leaning over me. "Always take a banana to a party, Eleanor. Bananas are GOOD." The Doctor informed me.

"Riiiightt..." I said, rolling my eyes. He then turned to the droids and looked delighted.

"Oh ho ho ho ho, brilliant. It's you! You're my favourite, you are, you are the best! Do you know why? 'Cause you're so THICK. You're Mister Thick Thick Thickity Thick Face from Thicktown, Thickania. And so's your dad." He said. "Do you know what they were scanning Reinette's brain for? Her milometer. They wanna know how old she is. Know why? 'Cause this ship is thirty-seven years old. And they think that when Reinette is thirty-seven, when she's 'complete', then her brain will be compatible. So, that's what you're missing, isn't it?" He asked, and stared at a droid mockingly.

"Hmm? Command circuit. Your computer. Your ship needs a brain. And for some reason - God knows what - only the brain of Madame de Pompadour will do." He asked.

"The brain is compatible." The droid told him.

"Compatible? If you believe that, you probably believe this is a glass of wine." The Doctor said, removing the droid's mask and pouring the 'wine' into the head of the droid. He replaced the mask and patted its head. The droid winded down.

"Multigrain anti-oil. If it moves, it doesn't." The Doctor said, suddenly sobering up.

The Doctor turned to me, rushed over and poured the last of the oil onto my droid's head.

"Are you all right?" He asked. I ignored him. "Right, you three, that's enough lying about..."

He released us with the sonic, and we all slid down the tables onto the floor.

"Time we got the rest of the ship turned off."

"Are those things safe?" Mickey asked. The Doctor pulled the tie down to his neck and pushed the sunglasses up.

"Yep. Safe. Safe and thick. Way I like them. Okay, all the time windows are controlled from here. I need to close them all down." the Doctor said, feeling his pockets. "Zeus plugs. Where are my Zeus plugs? I had them a minute ago. I was using them as castanets."

I rolled my eyes, which he saw and looked hurt at. I missed my normal, sober and intelligent Doctor- who adored only me.

"Why didn't they just open a time window to when she was thirty seven?" Rose asked.

"With the amount of damage to these circuits, they'll be lucky to hit the right century. Trial and error after that." I said.

"The windows aren't closing. Why won't they close?" The Doctor asked.

We heard an ominous pinging noise.

"What's that?" Rose asked.

"I don't know... Incoming message?" The Doctor asked, moving to the clicking sounds.

"From who?" Mickey asked.

"Report from the field... one of them must still be out there with Reinette! That's why I can't close the windows, there's an override!" The Doctor said.

Behind him, one of the droids came back to life. Rose gasped as the droid expelled the 'wine' all over his shoes. Ha.

"Well, that was a bit clever." The Doctor said.

The rest of the droids came back to life, and the room was drowned in ticking.

"Right... many things about this are not good." The Doctor said.

The pinging sound happened again. "Message from your friends? Anything interesting?" I asked.

"She is complete. It begins." The droid said, and my blood turned cold.

"What's happening?" Rose asked as the droid's all teleported.

"One of them must've found the right time window, and now it's time to send in the troops. And this time they're bringing back her head." The Doctor said, gazing at me.

REINETTE

I stood by the window, looking out into the sky. I heard footsteps and so turned around. I checked the clock, not broken. I was safe. I figure reflected in the glass.

"Madame de Pompadour-" A voice said. I turned around and gasped. Eleanor- me in the future- stood there, rigid and looking uncomfortable. "Please, don't scream. There isn't much time." The child said.

Eleanor walked to my bed and took a seat. I turned to face the pretty girl. I was happy that in another life I would get to spend it with the Doctor.

"I've come to warn you... me... that they'll be here in five years." She told me.

"Five years?" I asked.

"After your thirty seventh birthday. No exact date. But they're coming for us. It's already happening for us. I'm sorry. But remember that you have the Doctor on your... our.. side. As well as me. You'll always have me." She whispered, and I felt tears form in my eyes, as well as hers. "I'm not good at explaining this." I sniffed.

"Then be exact, and I will be attentive." I said.

"There isn't time." She apologized.

"There are five years." I insisted.

"For you. I haven't got five minutes." She sniffed.

"Then also be concise." I demanded. I sat next to her, and put a hand on her... my.. arm comfortingly.

"There's a ship. It's full you you.. me.. us... whatever you want to call our arrangement. Different bits of our life, all in different rooms." She said.

"There is a vessel in your world... where the days of my life are pressed together like the chapters of a book so that he may step from one to the other without increase of age... while I, weary traveller... must always take the slower path?" I asked.

"It's not like that. What he is.. What I am.. What you will be... We don't age. So even if he joined you, he would never become older." Eleanor explained.

"So, in five years, these creatures will return. What can be done?" I asked.

"Keep them talking. They're programmed to respond to you. You can't stop them, but you can delay them." She told me sadly.

"Until?" I asked.

"Until I save you." She said. "The Doctor and I will be there." She promised.

"Does he also promise?" I asked.

"Yes." She said.

"But he cannot... make his promises in person?" I asked.

"He'll be there when you need him. That's the way it'll be until you turn into Eleanor. Look forward to that. That's when everything gets better." She laughed, and I couldn't help but smile. "You fall in love with him, and he with you. You travel with him. It's scary.. God, it's scary. But he's worth it. He stops the scariness from affecting you. We're engaged, you know?" She asked, smiling fondly. I located the pretty ring on her finger and smiled at her.

"You must've felt awful knowing I kissed him. I apologize." I said. She smiled at me and engulfed me with a hug.

"No matter how bad things may seem... I remember all of this. It ends well. And he will always be there for you, when you need him. That's the way it is. You're.. I'm.. We're his soul mate." She sighed happily.

I envied her.

"The monsters and the Doctor. It seems you cannot have one without the other." I said.

"Tell me about it." Eleanor laughed. "One may tolerate a world of demons for the sake of an angel." She said, taking the words from my mouth.

"I was to say that!" I exclaimed, and she giggled. I stood, and faced the fireplace.

"Eleanor... Eleanor?" A man called. We both turned. A man and woman poked out from behind a tapestry in the room.

"El!"

Eleanor went to meet him.

"The time window when she's thirty seven. We found it. Right under our noses." The man said.

I looked at the tapestry and rushed over to it.

"No, you can't go in there, the Doctor will go mad-" The blonde said, but I already walked through onto the vessel.

It was terrifying.

"So, this is his world." I said. "And my future one." I heard screaming.

"What was that?" I asked.

"The time window, the Doctor fixed an audio link." The man said.

"Those screams... is that my future?" I asked, scared.

"Yeah... I'm sorry." Eleanor said.

"Then I must take the slower path." I concluded.

"Are you there? Can you hear me? I need you now, you promised. The clock on the mantel is broken, it is time." My voice ringed out.

"That's my voice." I said.

"Rose, come on, El. We've gotta go. There's a problem." The man said.

"Give me a moment." Eleanor said, and pulled me back into my bedroom.

"Are you okay?" She asked me.

"No. I'm very afraid. But you and I both know that the Doctor is worth the monsters." I said.

"Reinette. You're not afraid of his world when it comes to be your time. Just remember that." She promised, and kissed my forehead before leaving.

"One more question!" I called, she turned back to me. "Who is Amaryllis?" I asked.

"It's who you used to be." She told me, before sprinting away.

ELEANOR

"You found it then?" I asked.

"They knew I was coming. They blocked it off." The Doctor replied, working frantically at the time window.

"I don't get it. How come they got in there?" Rose asked.

"They teleported. You saw them. As long as the ship and the ballroom are linked, their short range teleports will do the trick." The Doctor said.

"Well, we'll go in the TARDIS!" Rose exclaimed.

"We can't use the TARDIS, we're part of events now." I sighed.

"Well, can't we just smash through it?" Mickey asked.

"Hyperplex this side, plate glass the other. We need a truck." The Doctor said.

"We don't have a truck." I said.

"I KNOW WE DON'T HAVE A TRUCK!" The Doctor shouted at me. I glared at him and moved well away.

"Well, we've gotta try something." Rose said.

"No, smash the glass, smash the window. They'd be no way back." The Doctor said.

REINETTE.

"Can everyone just calm down? Please?" I shouted to the screaming people in the ballroom.

"Such a commotion. Such distressing noise. Kindly remember that this Versailles. This is the Royal Court. And we are French." I shouted. I turned to the droids.

"I have made my decision. And my decision, is 'no'- I shall not be going with you today. I have seen your world and I have no desire to set foot there again." I said.

"We do not require your feet." The droid said. Two droids came up to each side of me and pushed me to my knees. They pointed their weapons at me.

"You think I fear you. But I do not fear you, even now. You are merely the nightmare of my childhood. The monster from under my bed. And if my nightmare can return to plague me, then rest assured- so can yours." I said.

I heard a window smash, and a horse's whinny. I looked around for the source of the noise.

ELEANOR

He turned to me, all other resolves gone.

"Go ahead." I sneered. "Ruin everything we have."

He looked pained.

And then he took my horse.

And he smashed through the glass.

Leaving Rose, Mickey and I stranded.

To rescue Reinette.

And leave his fiancee, soul mate and lover.

It was over.

I tore the ring of my hand and threw it to the floor in despair. I stormed over to the ship consoles and smashed every screen with a plank of wood, whilst continually growling and cursing in every language I knew.

"El.." Rose said.

"Don't." I said, through gritted teeth.

"El, your eyes are purple." Rose said. I dropped the plank of wood and plonked myself on the ground, staring at the now bricked up time window.

REINETTE

"Madame de Pompadour. You look younger every day." The Doctor said.

I smiled.

"What the hell is going on?" King Louis demanded.

"Oh- this is my lover, the King of France." I told the Doctor.

"Yeah? Well, I'm the Lord of Time." He said. "And I'm here to fix the clock."

He removed the mask of the droids and revealed the clockwork underneath. The droid pointed it's weapon at the Doctor.

"Forget it. It's over. For you and for me." The Doctor said. "The link with the ship is broken. No way back. You don't have the parts. How many ticks left in that clockwork heart? A day? An hour? It's over. Accept that. I'm not winding you up."

The clockwork wound down and the wretched men coiled over, dead. One fell, and the clockwork smashed on to the floor.

The Doctor held his hand out to me.

"You all right?" He asked. I nodded and took his hand, allowing him to pull me up.

"What's happened to them?" I asked.

"They've stopped. They have no purpose now."

We stood, amidst the chaos, hand in hand.

We stood by a window, each holding a glass of wine and looking up at the stars.

"You know all their names, don't you? I saw that in your mind. The name of every star." I told him.

"What's in a name? Names are just titles. Titles don't tell you anything." He said, and his face looked so sad.

"Like 'The Doctor'." I said, smiling.

"Like, 'Madame de Pompadour.'" He said. I laughed at him/

"I have often wished to see those stars a little closer. Just as you have, I think." I said.

"Well, you will be able to. As Eleanor." He told me.

"In saving me, you trapped yourself from your lover." I accused.

"Mm. Pretty much." He said.

"I can't imagine how she's feeling." I replied.

"Pretty angry, I assume." He replied.

"She's me in the future. I will not allow you to treat her like that." I insisted. "I care for you, but she is deeply in love with you. And you with her. How could you separate yourself from her?" I asked.

"I don't know. I save lives. That's what I do." He said, sadly.

"You've ended hers." I accused.

"I've ended mine." He said, and his voice broke. "I adore her." He whispered.

"There were many doors between my world and yours. Can you not use one of the others?" I asked.

"When the mirror broke, the shock will have severed all the links with the ship. There'll be a few more broken mirrors and torn tapestries around here, I'm afraid." He said.

"So, here you are. Eleanor's angel. Stuck on the slow path, with me." I said.

"Yep. The slow path." He said. "Here's to the slow path." And he held up his glass. I didn't join in.

I took his hand and dragged him to my bedroom instead.

"It's not a copy. It's the original. I had it moved here and was exact in every detail." I said.

"The fireplace.." He said, and walked towards it. "The fireplace from your bedroom. When did you do this?" The Doctor asked.

"Many years ago. In the hope that a door once opened, may someday be opened again. One never quite knows when one needs one's Doctor. It appears undamaged, do you think it will still work?" I asked.

"You broke the bond with the ship when you moved it. Which means it was off-line when the mirror broke. That's what saved it. But..." He said, and moved closer to the fireplace. "The link is basically physical, and it's still physically here."

I watched him tap the wood.

"Which might just mean, if I'm lucky... If I'm very, very, very, very, very lucky.." He said. He seemed to find what he was looking for as he grinned up at me.

"Aha!"

"What?" I asked.

"Loose connection!" He exclaimed. "Need to get a man in." He said.

"Go to her." I said.

"Wish me luck!" He exclaimed, as he set the fireplace into rotation.

"Good luck." I whispered, and she smiled gently at me.

3RD PERSON

The Doctor walked through to the others and saw a destruction site. Every screen was smashed, every desk was bent out of place and everything had been thrown onto the floor.

Eleanor was sat on the floor, scowling, with no ring on her finger.

"How long did you wait?" The Doctor asked her, sitting next to her. He put his arm around her and she leaned into his side.

"Five and a half hours." She whispered.

"Right, always wait five and a half hours." He whispered back. She smiled faintly.

"You left me, for her." She said.

"I had to. Oh, darling. I had to." He replied, stroking her hair.

"I know." She replied, and wrapped her arms around him. "I thought I'd never see you again!"

"I would've found you." He promised her. He picked up the ring from the floor. "Having second thoughts?" He asked, slipping the ring back onto her finger.

"Not any more." She replied, and kissed his cheek.

"You're my only one, you know." The Doctor promised her.

Eleanor suddenly realised what she wanted to do. She jumped away from the Doctor and leaped over to the fireplace.

She kneed it, and rotated around on it.

"Reinette?" She called, looking around. The room was completely dark.

King Louis was stood by the window, gazing outside.

"Oh. Hello." Eleanor said.

"You just missed her. She'll be in Paris by six." He told her.

"Ah." Eleanor said.

"She often spoke of you, Eleanor. Told me of her future with the Doctor. I'm happy that you finally get to spend time with him, my dear Reinette, for I know you're still in there." Louis said.

"She is. Tucked somewhere deep down. That was a really long time ago, for me." She told him. He smiled faintly.

He walked over to her. He held two letters out to Eleanor, and walked back to the window.

"There she goes." He said sadly, as a hearse rolled away from the window. "Leaving Versailles for the last time. Only forty three when she died." He told her.

Eleanor walked up behind him, and watched the hearse.

"Why did you come here?" He whispered.

"To thank her for sending him back to me." Eleanor whispered back. The pain on his face was quite deep and it made El choke up.

"Too young.. too young. Illness took her in the end. She always did work too hard." King Louis said. "What does she say?" He asked El.

Without a word, Eleanor tucked the letters in her pocket.

"Of course. Quite right." Louis said. Eleanor turned and walked away.

In the TARDIS, the Doctor joined Eleanor and she handed him a letter. The other was for her.

Eleanor's read-

Eleanor. My path is becoming slower, but I have listened to your words and used them as a comfort. I know that someday, I shall become you and will have to revisit this time. I'm not looking forward to that part.

I am very much looking forward to, however, travelling through the stars as you. I look forward to loving and being loved by the Doctor.

And if what you told me is a lie, about remembering my life as your own, giving me hope that I will still be the same person when I am Eleanor, well. The truth isn't far behind.

Love him, Eleanor. And don't ignore the purple signs.

Yours,

Reinette.

The Doctor's read:

My Dear Doctor. The path has never seemed more slow, and yet I fear I am nearing its end. Reason tells me that you and I are unlikely to meet again. But I think I shall not listen to reason. I have seen the world inside your head, and know that all things are possible. Hurry though, my love. My days grow shorter now, and I am so very weak. God speed, my lonely angel.

Yours,

Amaryllis.

The Doctor smiled gently and turned to Eleanor, and engulfed her in a hug.

"I love you." He whispered.

"I love you too." Was the reply.  



	10. Eleanor Meets River

River is going to be in this chapter, by the way... But let's pretend she's just a friend, eh? She is definitely not the Doctor's wife...

The Doctor pocketed his letter, and sniffed a little. Eleanor stood up from the jump seat, and took control of the TARDIS as he stood watching her.

"We're a mess, aren't we?" Eleanor laughed. The Doctor chuckled.

"I couldn't agree more." He replied, watching her dance around his TARDIS fondly. "Where are you taking us?" He asked.

"I'm taking me home. I think we need time apart for a little while." Eleanor replied.

"Oh." He replied. "We shouldn't have to have time apart."

"I know." Eleanor sighed. "But.. I haven't seen the future you in a while." She grinned, and the Doctor smiled back in response.

The TARDIS landed rather gently, for a change.

"Where are we?" Rose asked, bounding into the console room with Mickey on her arm.

"Home. I'm leaving for a while." Eleanor nodded. Mickey looked shocked.

"Oh." Rose said, much like the Doctor did. "Well, when are you coming back?" She asked.

"Whenever you come back for me." Eleanor chuckled, and kissed Rose's cheek, as well as Mickey's. She looked at the Doctor for a moment, before leaving the ship.

"Wow." Mickey said.

The Doctor groaned and leaned onto the console, his head in his hands.

Eleanor's relationship with the Doctor had been odd since meeting Reinette, and Eleanor needed to escape. She wanted to travel with a carefree Doctor, who thought of only her.

Which is why, when Eleven bumped into her whilst walking down the street, she was overjoyed.

"Oh, hello." He said, smiling. "You look different." He said. "Well... you look the same as when I last saw you... But I know that you just came back from... Reinette. Am I right?" He asked.

"Spot on." Eleanor replied, cringing slightly.

"So.. We're engaged." He said. Eleanor smiled faintly and swung her arms around a bit.

"Yep."

He suddenly leaned down and crashed his lips upon her, placing his hands on her back. Eleanor moaned and leaned into him, desperate to feel close to the Doctor again.

"Doctor! Put her down! We need to go!" A voice called. Eleanor looked around and saw an anxious looking Rory waiting.

"Hey Rory." Eleanor smiled.

"Not the time..." He moaned. The Doctor clapped and span around, following Rory to the TARDIS.

"Quite right. I need to assemble an army." The Doctor said. Eleanor's eyebrows knitted together in confusion as she followed the two men.

"Where's Amy?" Eleanor asked, looking around for her.

"Gone." Rory said, looking utterly devastated.

Amy leaned over Melody's bassinet.

"He's the last of his kind. He looks young, but he's lived for hundreds and hundreds of years. And wherever they take you, Melody, however scared you are, I promise you, you will never be alone." She said, leaning over and kissing her daughter. "Because this man is your father. He has a name, but the people of our world know him better as the Last Centurion."

The door to the Cyber Control ship opened. Rory, dressed as a Roman, and Eleanor, armed to the teeth with weapons hidden in a coat, stood, prepared. The Cybermen aimed at them.

"I have a message and a question. A message from the Doctor and a question from me. Where is my wife? Oh, don't give me those blank looks. The 12th Cyber Legion monitors this entire quadrant." Rory said, and the two walked to the window where the rest of the Fleet could be seen. "You hear everything. So you tell me what I need to know, you tell me now, and we'll be on our way."

"What is the Doctor's message?" The Cyberleader asked.

"Would you like me to repeat the question?" Rory asked.

River Song swayed as she walked up to the phone amidst the alarms. She was wearing a Victorian gown.

"Oh, turn it off. I'm breaking in, not out. This is River Song, back in her cell... Oh and I'll take breakfast at the usual time. Thank you!" She said into the phone, and she hung up and glided along the floor.

She stopped when she spotted two silhouettes. One dressed as a Roman, the other quite smaller, but looking bulky. Someone armed.

"Oh, are you boys dressing up as Romans now? I thought nobody read my memo's." River said.

They moved out of the shadows together.

"Dr Song? It's Rory. Sorry... have we met yet? Time streams, I'm not quite sure where we are..." Rory said.

"Yes. Yes, we've met. Hello Rory. And hello Eleanor." River said, sadly.

"Hello. Do you know me?" Eleanor asked.

"We've met various times. Including your wedding." River said sadly.

"Oh.," Eleanor replied awkwardly.

"What's wrong?" Rory asked.

"It's my birthday. The Doctor and Eleanor took me ice skating on the River Thames in 1814. The last of the great frost fairs. She got Stevie Wonder to sing under the London Bridge." She said.

"That sounds nice." Eleanor said, smiling. "Happy birthday. I'll remember to book Stevie Wonder." This caused River to chuckle.

"Stevie Wonder sang in 1814?" Rory asked.

"Yes, he did. But you must never tell him." River replied.

"We've come from the Doctor too." Rory said.

"Yes, but at a different point in time." River replied.

"Unless there's two of them." Rory laughed.

"Now, that's a whole different birthday."

"He needs you." Eleanor said.

"Demons run." River said, closing her diary.

"How... how did you know?" Eleanor asked.

"I'm from his future. Just like Eleanor's from all over the place. Why on Earth are you wearing that?" River asked Rory.

"The Doctor's idea." Rory replied.

"Of course. His rules of engagement. Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee." River said.

"Look ridiculous." Eleanor said, smirking at Rory. River smirked too.

"Have you considered heels?" River asked, and Eleanor giggled nervously.

"They've taken Amy. And our baby." Rory said, reminding them of the seriousness. "The Doctor's getting some people together right now, we're going after her, but he needs you too." Rory said, walking towards River.

"I can't. Not yet anyway." River said.

"I'm sorry?" Eleanor asked.

"This is the Battle of Demon's Run. The Doctor and Eleanor's darkest hour. They'll rise higher than ever before and then fall so much further. And... I can't be with them till the very end." River said.

"Just who are you?" Eleanor asked.

"I'm your best friend, El. But apart from that, you'll have to find out for yourself." River said.

"Why can't you come now?" Rory asked.

"Because this is it. This is the day they find out who I am. Properly." River said, walking back into her cell.

Amy watched sadly out of the window as Manton spoke on stage.

"He is not the devil. She is not a God. He is not a goblin. She is not a phantom, or a trickster. The Doctor is a leaving, breathing man and Eleanor is a living, breathing woman. And as I look around this room, I know one thing... We're sure as hell going to fix that."

The soldiers cheered.

Lorna walked into the room slowly, and approached Amy.

"Sorry. I shouldn't be here. I'm meant to be at the thing. I brought you something. Your child's name. In the language of me people. It's a prayer leaf and we believe, if you keep this with you, your child will always come home to you." Lorna said, handing the prayer leaf to Amy.

"Can I borrow your gun?" Amy asked.

"Why?" Lorna asked.

"Cos I've got a feeling you're going to keep talking. Talking like he's famous. The Doctor isn't famous..."

"He meets a lot of people. Him and Eleanor. Some of them... remember. He's sort of like a... I dunno. A dark legend." Lorna said, smiling.

"Dark? Have you met the Doctor and Eleanor?" Amy exclaimed.

"Yeah." Lorna said, and Amy turned around. "But I was just a little girl."

"So was I." Amy said.

"You've been with him a long time then." Lorna replied.

"No. He came back for me."

"You must be very special."  
"Hey. You can wait a long time for the Doctor. But he's worth it, Ok?" Amy walked over to Lorna. "The thing is, he's coming. With El. No question about it. Just make sure you're on the right side when he gets here. Not for my sake... For yours." She said, and she finally took the prayer leaf. "Thank you."

Lorna left, and Amy held the leaf, and continued listening to Manton.

"On this day, in this place, the Doctor will fall. The man who talks, the man who reasons, the man who lies, will meet the perfect answer. Some of you have wondered why have we have allied ourselves with the Headless Monks. Perhaps you should have wondered why we call them Headless. It's time you knew what these guys have sacrificed for faith. As you all know, it is a Level One Heresy, punishable by death, to lower the hood of a Headless Monk. But by the divine grant of the Papal Mainframe herself, on this one and only occasion, I can show you the truth. Because these guys never can be.. persuaded! They NEVER can be... persuaded! They NEVER can be..." Manton said, after showing the crowd the headless monks. As Manton approached the third monk, the Doctor threw down his hood.

"Surprised!" The Doctor exclaimed. Amy smiled and pressed her hands against the window.

"Hello everyone! Guess who!" He said, and walked to the front of the stage. "Please point a gun at me if it helps you relax."

All the soldiers, except for Lorna, pointed their guns at the Doctor.

"You're only human." the Doctor said. Manton aimed his gun also at him.

"Doctor, you will come with me, right now!"

The Doctor turned and smiled at Manton.

"Three minutes, forty seconds. Amelia Pond, get your coat!" The Doctor exclaimed. He put his hood back up as the lights went out. When they came back on, he was gone.

"I'm not a phantom. She's not a trickster." The Doctor said, over the speaker.

"Doctor?" Manton called.

"I'm a monk." The Doctor said.

"Doctor, show yourself!" Manton exclaimed.

"It's him. He's here!" A soldier exclaimed, aiming his gun at the monks.

The monks charged their swords. The soldier shot a monk.

"Weapons down! Do not fire!" Manton demanded. One of the monks raised his hand and shot energy at a soldier, killing him.

The monks and soldiers started to fight.

"Doctor! Doctor!" Manton exclaimed. Manton aimed his gun at the Doctor.

"Nobody discharge their weapon in this room. Nobody!" Manton instructed.

Lorna saw a figure in a monk's robe by one of the doors. The Doctor used the sonic.

"Do not fire!"

Lorna watched as the Doctor escaped, and sneakily followed.

The soldiers began chanting "WE ARE NOT FOOLS!" They were soon unarmed, and the monks lowered their swords. A female soldier put down her gun and looked into the face of an armed Silurian. A load of Silurian's beamed in and the soldiers were surrounded. Judoon did the same.

Strax appeared on stage, next to Manton, aiming his gun at him.

"The base is not under our command." Strax said.

"I have a fleet out there! If Demons Run goes down, there's an automatic distress call!" Manton exclaimed.

"Not if we knock out your communications array." The Doctor said over the speaker.

The Doctor was in a raised platform, watching.

"And you've got incoming!" He exclaimed.  



	11. Demons Run

"Danny boy to the Doctor. Danny boy to the Doctor." The pilot said over the speaker.

"Give 'em hell, Danny boy!" The Doctor replied, putting his arms out and pretending to be a plane.

Spitfires fired upon Demon's Run. As the asteroid rocked from the hit, Amy smiled.

Kovarian, however, braced herself.

"I need to get off this station now. Bring me the child!" She exclaimed to her soldiers.

"Pilot destroyed." Danny boy said to the Doctor. The Doctor laughed. Amy laughed. Manton dropped his head.

"Don't slump, it's bad for your spine!" Strax explained.

In Demon's Run corridor, soldiers carried the bassinet between them, back to Kovarian.

"Get back in there with the rest of them. Remember, the Doctor must think he's winning, right until the trap closes! I'll take my ship from here." She spat.

She keyed in a code at the door and the soldiers gave her the bassinet. Little did Kovarian know, Lorna was hiding in the corner. She left quietly, taking off her pack.

"Airlock engaged. Shuttle ready for boarding." The computer said.

"No." Eleanor said, holding a sword at Kovarian's neck.

"I have a crew of 20. How do you expect to gain control of my ship?" Kovarian demanded. Both El and Rory scoffed. The airlock door opened and one of her men was pushed out. Behind him was Avery and his son. Avery aimed his pistol at her.

"This ship is ours, m'lady!" Avery demanded.

In Demon's Run Communication, Strax was escorting Manton around by gun point.

"All air locks sealed, resistance neutralised!" Strax exclaimed.

The Doctor was sitting at the main control panel, with Vastra, Jenny and Dorium also.

"Sorry, Colonel Manton. I lied. Three minutes, 42 seconds." The Doctor said.

"Colonel Manton, you will give the order for your men to withdraw." Strax demanded.

"No. Colonel Manton. I want you to tell your men to run away." The Doctor said.

"You what?" Manton asked.

"Those words. Run away. I want you to be famous for those exact words. I want people to call you Colonel Run-Away. I want children laughing outside your door, cos they've found the house of Colonel Run-Away. And, when people come to you, and ask if trying to get to me through the people I love... is in any way a good idea... I want you to tell them your name. Oh, look! I'm angry. That's new. I'm really not sure what's going to happen now." The Doctor said, pointing his finger at Colonel Manton.

Kovarian arrived in the room, escorted by two Silurians.

"The anger of a good man is not a problem. Good men have too many rules." Kovarian spat.

The Doctor turned slowly to look at her.

"Good men don't need rules. Today is not the day to find out why I have so many." He stated.

"Give the order." Kovarian said.

The Doctor pulled back, surprised. He smiled and held up a finger before walking away.

"Give the order Colonel Run Away." Kovarian said.

Suddenly, Eleanor burst through the door.

"Hello dear." The Doctor smirked.

There was a knocking at Demon Run's nursery door and Amy ran about, trying to find a weapon.

"Who's that? Who's there? You watch it, cos I'm armed and really dangerous and... cross!" Amy exclaimed.

"Yeah. Like I don't know that." Rory said through the door.

"Rory? Rory, is that you?" Amy asked.

"Yeah, it's me... Hang on a minute." He said, and unlocked the door with the sonic.

"They took her. Rory, they took our baby away." Amy cried.

The doors finally slid open and there stood Rory, with Melody Pond in his arms.

"Now, Mrs Williams... That is never, ever going to happen." Rory said, and walked over to Amy.

"Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Where's she been, what have they done to her..." Amy said, checking Melody.

"She's fine. Amy, she's fine. I checked. She's beautiful." Rory said, and began crying. "Oh, God, I was going to be cool. I wanted to be cool, look at me." He cried.

"You're OK. Crying Roman with a baby, definitely cool. Come here, you!" She exclaimed, and kissed him.

Eleanor and the Doctor stood at the door.

"Uh, kissing and crying. We'll be back in a bit." He said.

"Oi! You! As if we haven't had to put up with you and El.. at night." Rory said, smirking. Amy giggled.

"Hey!" Eleanor whined.

"Get in here. Now." Amy demanded, and they both hurried over to join them. The Doctor pointed at Melody and smiled.

"My daughter. What do you think?" Rory asked.

"Hello. Hello, baby."

"Hello again, Melody." Eleanor cooed.

"Again?" Amy asked.

"El helped me save her." Rory explained.

"Ah, thank you!" Amy exclaimed, tears welling up as she hugged El tightly.

"Melody! Hello Melody Pond!" the Doctor exclaimed, smiling at Amy and El.

"Melody Williams." Rory corrected.

"...Is a Geography teacher. Melody Pond is a superhero!" Amy exclaimed.

The Doctor and El both leaned over the baby and listened as Mels gurgled.

"Wel, yes, I suppose she does smell nice. Never really sniffed her, maybe I should give it a go. Amelia Pond, c'mere!" The Doctor exclaimed, and hugged Amy.

"Doctor!"

"I'm sorry we were so long. We had to go and pick Eleanor up as well as organise an army." The Doctor said.

"It's Ok, I knew you were coming. All three of you! My boys and my girl!"

Melody squealed.

"It's OK, baby. She's still yours. And you should be calling her Mummy, it's rude to call her Big Milk Thing." Eleanor said to the baby, smiling slightly.

"OK, what are you two doing?" Amy asked.

"We speak baby." The Doctor replied.

"No, you don't!"

"We speak everything... Don't we Melody Pond?" He asked, and the Doctor straightened his bow tie. "No, it's not... It's cool!" He exclaimed.

Vastra entered the room and leaned on a rail.

"Doctor! Take a look, they're leaving."

The Doctor and Eleanor walked to a window and looked as the soldier's marched away.

"Demons Run is ours without a drop of blood spilled. My friend, you have never risen higher!" Vastra exclaimed.

Both of Eleanor and Rory's heads shot up and they looked at each other, alarmed, remembering River's words.

Amy walked out of the TARDIS, comforting Melody.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Rory asked.

"She doesn't like the TARDIS noise. I asked him to turn something off, but it was all, 'I don't want to punch a hole in the space-time continuum." Amy moaned.

Jenny and Strax walked up to them.

"Rory! The Judoon have escorted the Clerics out of the quadrant, Spitfires have returned to their own time, and Captain Avery and his men... Is she all right?" Jenny asked.

"Yes, she's just crying." Amy said.

"Give her to me, human fool. She needs changing." Strax said.

"I just changed her. I think she might need a feed." Amy replied.

"A feed, of course. I'll take care of everything." Strax said, walking forwards with her hands out to take Melody.

"I really don't think you will, actually." Rory said.

"I have gene spliced myself for all nursing duties. I can produce magnificent quantities of lactic fluid." Strax assured them.

The Doctor walked out of the TARDIS, with Eleanor, carring an old fashioned cradle.

"She's not hungry, she's tired. Sorry, Melody, they're just not listening." Eleanor cooed. Lorna followed them out too.

"What's this?" Amy asked.

"Very pretty, according to your daughter." The Doctor said.

"It's a... It's a cot." Rory said, confused.

"No flies on the Roman. Give her here, hey!" The Doctor said, but Amy passed Melody over to Eleanor instead. She cradled her for a moment before putting her into the cradle.

"But where would you get a cot?" Rory asked.

"It's old. Really old. Doctor... do you have children?" Amy asked.

"No." The Doctor replied, looking at Eleanor longingly.

"Have you ever had children?" Amy asked.

"No, it's real. It's his hair." Eleanor said, touching the Doctor's floppy hair.

"Who slept in here?" Amy asked.

"Doctor! We need you in the main control room!" Vastra said over speakers.

"Be right there! Things to do.. I've still got to work out what this base is for. We can't leave till we know." The Doctor said, and he and Eleanor walked off. Amy followed.

"But this is where I was? Doctor. The whole time I thought I was on the TARDIS, I was really here." Amy said.

"Erm... Centurion, permission to hug?" The Doctor asked.

"Be aware, I do have a sword." Rory replied. "Hey, El. You haven't even congratulated me yet." Rory complained. Eleanor giggled and hugged Rory tightly. Two couples switched over.

El put him down and Rory glared. "That's probably enough hugging now." Rory said.

"So her flesh avatar was with us all that time. But that means they were projecting a control signal right into the TARDIS. Wherever we were in time and space." Rory said.

"I'm not even going to pretend to know what your talking about." Eleanor said.

"Ah, yes. This you hasn't been with us for a while, has she?" Amy asked.

"No. Why did you come and find me?" Eleanor asked.

"I needed you." The Doctor said, holding her hand.

"Ha." El said. "Exactly what I was thinking about you." She said.

"Uh." Amy mouthed to Rory, who smiled fondly at his wife. 


	12. True Love Lies

"Why do they want Melody, anyway?" Eleanor asked.

"Exactly!" The Doctor exclaimed.

"What?" Eleanor asked, confused.

"Is there anything you're not telling us? You knew Amy wasn't real, you never said." Rory accused. Eleanor shifted, uncomfortable.

"Well, I couldn't be sure they weren't listening." The Doctor defended.

"But you always hold out on us. Please, not this time. Doctor, it's our baby. Tell us something. One little thing." Amy begged.

"It's mine." The Doctor said.

"What?" Eleanor shrieked, turning to him.

"What is?" Rory asked.

"The cot. It's my cot. I slept in there." The Doctor said, turning to Eleanor, confused at her reaction. She sighed.

"Oh, thank God." She muttered.

Rory walked over to the cot, and Eleanor linked her hand with the Doctor's.

"How sweet." She told him, beaming up at him.

"Oh, my God. It's the Doctor's first stars." Amy said.

"She's..." Rory said.

Amy reached into her pocket and pulled out the prayer leaf and wiped Melody's mouth.

"Drop your weapons. State your rank and intent!" Strax demanded, marching Lorna over to the group. "I found them listening at the door."

Eleanor's eyes turned purple, and she braced herself to fight and protect her friends.

The Doctor comforted her by pulling her to his chest, pretending he hadn't noticed her eyes. She relaxed, and they turned back to their normal blue colour.

The Doctor walked into the Communications room.

"You've hacked into their software then?" He asked.

"I believe I sold it to them." Dorium replied.

"So what have we learned?" Eleanor asked, also walking in and joining the Doctor.

"That anger is always the shortest distance to mistake." Vastra replied. Eleanor swallowed.

"I'm sorry?" The Doctor asked.

"The words of an old friend who once found me in the London Underground attempting to avenge my sisters on perfectly innocent tunnel diggers." Vastra said.

"Well... you were very cross at the time." The Doctor said quietly.

"As you were today, old friend. And your soul mate too. Point taken, I hope." She replied.

The Doctor nodded.

"Now, I have a question. A simple one. Is Melody human?" Vastra asked.

"Sorry, what? Of course she is!" The Doctor said, uncomfortably. Eleanor looked up at him. "Completely human, what are you talking about?" He asked.

"Why do you look so guilty?" Eleanor asked.

"They've been scanning her since she was born and I think they found what they were looking for." Vastra said, pulling the results up on a screen.

El and the Doctor walked over. "Human DNA." The Doctor said.

"Look closer. Human plus. Specifically... human plus Time Lord." Vastra said. Eleanor's mouth dropped, and she stormed out of the room, eyes glowing purple, away from the Doctor.

When she walked out, Lorna was talking to Rory. Eleanor got ready to attack and defend her friends, and with her eyes glowing, she was more fierce than ever.

"I heard her talking... this is a trap. Why would I lie to you?" Lorna asked. Rory stepped forwards.

"Well, you might want to take a look at your uniform." Eleanor snapped.

"El, are you alright?" Amy whispered, shocked at the colour of her eyes. She nodded briskly.

"The only reason I joined the clerics was to meet the Doctor again." Lorna said.

"You wanted to meet him, so you joined an army to fight him and Eleanor?" Jenny asked.

"Well, how else do you meet a great warrior?" Lorna asked.

"Why do they want to kill me?" Eleanor demanded.

"Because of the things you did when you weren't with the Doctor." Amy told her. Eleanor turned round.

"When was I not with the Doctor?" El demanded.

"Oh... Not happened for you yet. New information." Amy said, looking uncomfortable.

"He's not a warrior." Rory said.

"The why's he called the Doctor?" Lorna asked.

The lights went out, and Amy, Rory and Eleanor went and stood by the cot.

"But she's human. She's Amy and Rory's daughter." The Doctor said.

"You told me about your people. They became what they did through prolonged exposure to the time vortex. The untempered schism..." Vastra said.

"Over billions of years, it didn't just happen." The Doctor stressed, turning around and feeling pain for Eleanor.

"So how close is she? Could she even regenerate?" Vastra asked.

"No, no! I don't think so." The Doctor said.

"You don't sound so sure." Vastra replied.

"I don't even understand how this happened!" The Doctor exclaimed.

"Which leads me to ask... when did it happen?" Vastra asked.

"When?" The Doctor asked.

"I am trying to be delicate... I know how you can blush. When did this baby... begin?" Vastra asked.

"Oh, you mean..." The Doctor said, blushing.

"Quite." Vastra coughed, uncomfortable.

"Well, how would I know? That's all humany private stuff, it just sort of... goes on. They don't put up a balloon or anything." The Doctor said, walking down the hall.

"But the child could have begun on the TARDIS, in flight, in the vortex." Vastra suggested.

"No, no, impossible! It's all running about, sexy fish vampires and blowing up stuff. And Rory wasn't even there at the beginning. Then he was dead, then he didn't exist, then he was plastic. Then I had to reboot the whole universe...long story. So technically the first time they were on the TARDIS together, in this version of reality, was on their..." The Doctor stressed.

"On their what?" Vastra asked.

"On their wedding night." The Doctor gulped. "Doesn't make sense! You can't just cook yourself up a Time Lord!" The Doctor exclaimed, pacing.

"Of course not, but you have them one hell of a start and they've been working very hard ever since."

"And yet they gave in so easily. Does this not bother anyone else?" Dorium asked.

"Amy! She worried the baby would have a time head. She said that..." The Doctor mumbled.

"Only you would ignore the instincts of a mother!" Vastra exclaimed.

"Or the instincts of a coward. This is too easy. There's something wrong." Dorium said.

"Why even do it? Even if you could get your hands on a brand new Time Lord, what for?" The Doctor asked.

"A weapon." Eleanor said, walking into the room.

"Why would a Time Lord be a weapon?" The Doctor asked, not realising who said it.

"You saw my eyes go purple. I just nearly killed someone on our side." Eleanor cried, and her voice broke. The Doctor's head snapped around, and he walked over to her and she leaned into his side.

"Will someone explain to El about the human plus?" The Doctor asked. Dorium pulled her to one side and explained.

"That's only one person..." The Doctor whispered. "What else?"

"Well... they've seen you." Vastra said.

"Me?" The Doctor asking, sitting down, stunned.

"Mr Malvador, you're right. This was too easy. We should get back to the others." Vastra said.

"Me?" The Doctor asked, softly.

The two left, leaving the Doctor and Eleanor together. Eleanor sighed and sat next to him.

"Sorry I doubted you." She said.

"S'ok." He smiled. "And when we're safe and sound, we'll figure out what's going on with your eyes." The Doctor promised.

Madame Kovarian's face appeared on the com screen.

"I see you accessed our files." She said.

The Doctor and El stood and faced the screen, hand in hand.

"Do you understand yet? Oh, don't worry. I'm a very long way away. But I like to keep tabs on you. The child then... What do you think?" Kovarian asked.

"What is she?" The Doctor asked.

"Hope. Hope in this endless, bitter war." Kovarian said.

"What war?" Eleanor asked.

"Against you two, Doctor. Eleanor Thorn." Kovarian said.

Suddenly, Eleanor heard a "El! We need you!" By Rory.

She shrugged and rushed off.

When she joined Amy, Rory, Lorna and the Silurians, she heard monks chanting.

The monks passed bodies, walking towards the group. Eleanor's eyes flashed, and she was prepared to attack.

She wasn't Eleanor.

She was Amaryllis.

"Apparently, we're not leaving." Vastra said.

"Is that the monks?" Rory asked.

"Oh, dear God... That's the attack prayer." Dorium said, terrified.

"Quick, come with me." Rory said to Amy, who was carrying baby Melody. He led her away and Amaryllis followed.

Rory and Amaryllis led Amy and the baby to some crates and hid them. Amaryllis let them have their moment, and stood guard.

"Rory, no offence to the others, but you let them die before El or you, Ok?" Amy asked.

"You're so Scottish." Rory said, and kissed her. Then he kissed Melody's head.

"See you later, Amy." Amaryllis said, her eyes glowing.

"Why are you glowing?" Rory whispered.

"I think this is me as my old Time Lord self, if that makes sense. I'm a warrior. Amaryllis." She said.

"Should I call you that... or?" Rory asked, shifting.

"Yep." She said, popping the P.

"Centurion, Time Lord, you're needed!" Vastra called. Amaryllis and Rory left to join them.

Lorna was searching through crates. Amaryllis ignored what they were saying, and concentrated on her fighting. She had various weapons hidden, and she was prepared to use them. Nothing would get her friends.

Suddenly, Dorium walked towards the monks, and Amaryllis snapped into gear.

"We don't have to fight. I'm friends with the Monks, they know me." Dorium said.

"Yeah, and they know you just sold them out to the Doctor." Rory pointed out.

"Oh, they'll understand. It's only me, only silly old me." Dorioum said, holding his arms open wide to the Monks. "You understand, don't you?" He asked.

"Mr Maldovar, get back here!" Vastra exclaimed.

"Arm yourself, fool!" Strax demanded.

"Dorium!" Rory shouted.

Amy was listening, and she closed her eyes and clung to Melody as she heard the sound of a sword and something falling to the floor. Melody cried.

"Mr Maldovar?" Vastra asked. The purple in Amarylli's eyes faded, and she returned to El, panicked and worried for Dorium.

"Dorium?" She asked.

Lorna rushed out behind them, passing out guns. They watched as the Monks approached, swords glowing. A headless Dorium walked towards them.

"The child! At all costs, protect the child!" Vastra said, and Eleanor's eyes glowed again.

Amaryllis pulled out her longest sword in one hand, and made sure her gun was in easy reach. Rory unsheathed his sword too, and the rest got their guns.

Amaryllis and Rory stuck together, fighting, slicing, cutting, stabbing. The fight seemed endless. Amaryllis didn't lose heart, she didn't feel sorrow, she didn't feel guilty. She was a warrior.

"Demons run when a good man goes to war. Night will fall and drown the sun when a good woman goes to war. Friendship dies and true love lies."

Amaryllis thought of the Doctor as she murdered, her eyes faded. Thinking of the Doctor helped her to control herself. True loves lies.

"Night will fall and dark will rise when a good man goes to war."

The Doctor realised, and was running to find Amy.

The fight continued, but by thinking of the Doctor, tears were streaming down Eleanor's face and she was losing energy. Losing motivation.

"Eleanor!" Rory screamed, as she was shot by Monks' energy.

"Demons run but count the cost. The battle's won but the child is lost."

The Doctor heard Rory's cry, and tears streaked down the Doctor's face. But he had to find Amy.

The Doctor ran to a closed door.

"Amy!" The Doctor yelled, his voice breaking.

Melody burst. She was Flesh.

"Rory!" Amy screamed.

Rory heard her.

"Rory! Rory!"

The Doctor was using the sonic on the door.

"Amy, she's not real! Melody- she's a flesh avatar. Amy!" He cried, nearly sobbing as he thought of what might have happened to El.

The door opened.

The Doctor ran in, the fighting was over. Rory was carrying Eleanor bridal style. She was passed out, but managing to breathe slightly.

"Eleanor! El!" The Doctor shouted, her eyes cracked open a little. He gripped her hand and squeezed his eyes shut, leaning his forehead against her.

"Ha. I've barely had this body and I'm going to get another one." She muttered.

"Don't say that." The Doctor said. Eleanor passed out, and the Doctor dropped her hand and turned to Amy and Rory.

"Amy." He said.

"Yeah, we know." Rory said, sadly looking at the girl in his arms and thinking of his daughter.

Rory gave her to the Doctor, who cradled her. Her breathing was becoming heavier, she was hanging onto life.

"It's strange. I have often dreamed of dying in combat. I'm not enjoying it as much as I'd hoped." Strax said, laid on the floor, dying.

"Come on, Strax, don't give up." Rory said.

"It's all right. I had a good life. I'm nearly 12." Strax said.

"Listen to me. You'll be back on your feet in no time! You're a warrior!" Rory exclaimed.

"Rory... I'm a nurse." Strax said. His breathing became laborious, and he passed on.

The Doctor continued to carry El as he walked over to Amy and Jenny.

"So they took her away. All this was for nothing. Eleanor.. Strax... Lorna." Amy said. Rory joined them.

"I am so.. sorry." The Doctor said, walking over to her, but she backed away.

"Amy.. it's not his fault." Jenny said gently.

"I know, I know." Amy cried. Rory put his arms around her to comfort her.

"Doctor, there's someone who wants to speak to you. Her name is Lorna, she came to warn us." Vastra said, and the Doctor passed El to Jenny.

The Doctor followed Vastra and used to sonic and scanned Lorna. He knelt beside and rubbed his face with a hand in frustration. Lorna opened her eyes.

"Hey, hello." The Doctor said.

"Doctor!" Lorna exclaimed.

"You helped my friends, thanks." The Doctor said, smiling.

"I met you and El once, in the Gamma Forests. You don't remember me." Lorna said.

"Hey, of course I remember. I remember everyone. Hey, we ran, you and me and El! Didn't we run, Lorna?" The Doctor asked, but sadly, she passed away too.

"Who was she?" The Doctor asked Vastra.

"I don't know, but she was very brave." Vastra replied.

"They're always brave. They're always brave." The Doctor said, softly, standing.

"So, what now? They'd almost certainly have taken her to Earth, raise her in the correct environment.." Vastra said.

"Yes, they did. And it's already too late." He said, walking away.

"You're giving up?" A croaky Eleanor asked. The Doctor shot around and rushed to her. "You never do that." She said.

"Don't talk, keep your energy." the Doctor said gently.

"I'm going to be fine, two hearts." She reminded him, and even managed to leave Jenny's arms, stumbling a little. She sat down on the floor, and closed her eyes, fixing herself.

A flash of bright light blinded everyone.

"Well, then, soldier, how goes the day?" River Song asked.

"Where the hell have you been? Every time you've asked, we've been there. Where the hell were you today?" The Doctor demanded.

"I couldn't have prevented this." River said.

"You could've tried!" The Doctor exclaimed, pointing to El. "She could've... she... oh, you know!" He shouted.

"And so could you." River shot back, and turned to Rory and Amy. "I know you're not all right. But hold tight, Amy, because you're going to be." River promised.

"You think I wanted this? I didn't do this? This.. This wasn't me!" The Doctor exclaimed.

"This was exactly you. All this, all of it. You make them so afraid. When you began, all those years ago, sailing off to see the universe, did you ever think you'd become this? The man who can turn an army around at the mention of his name? Doctor? The word for healer and wise man, throughout the universe. We get that word from you, you know. But if you carry on the way you are, what might that word come to mean? To the people of the Gamma Forests, the word "Doctor" means mighty warrior. How far you've come. And now they've taken a child... the child of your best friends... and they're going to turn her into a weapon, just to bring you down. And all this ...in fear of you." River said, sadly.

"Don't say that to him." Eleanor whispered. River looked down and rushed over to the wounded girl.

"Are you all right, El?" River asked. Eleanor shook her off. River sighed, stood up and walked back in front of the Doctor.

"Who are you?" The Doctor asked.

"Oh, look, your cot! Haven't seen that in a long while." River said, and walked over to the cot.

"No, no, you tell me. Tell me.. who you are." The Doctor demanded.

"I am telling you." River snapped. "Can't you read?" She asked, showing him the cot. He read the Gallifreyan writing on the cot, and then looked up at River.

"El, can you come here or do you need help?" He asked shakily. Eleanor walked, slowly, over to the cot and read the writing.

"Oh, my." She said. "Hello." She said, grinning. River grinned back.

"Hello." She replied.

"But... But that means..." The Doctor said, laughing nervously.

"I'm afraid it does." River replied.

Eleanor grinned up at the Doctor, before grabbing his hand and pulling him closer to her.

"Vastra and Jenny, till the next time. Rory and Amy, I'll find your daughter and on my life, she will be safe. River, get them all home." He said, and El and the Doctor walked over to the TARDIS.

"Doctor?" Rory asked.

"No! Where are you going? No!" Amy shouted.

The Doctor used the sonic to life the force field and entered the TARDIS. In the doorway, he laughed and pointed at River before going into the TARDIS and shutting the door on he and Eleanor.

"Wow." Eleanor said, holding her chest a little as she walked. "It's quite obvious really. Don't know why we didn't think of it sooner. River Song. Melody Pond. Pft." She said.

The Doctor looked at her, a pained expression in his eyes.

"We need to talk." He said.  



	13. Miss Thorn, Miss Jones and Mr Smith

Hello! Thank you for your comments and reviews. I just have some things to say.

I am using every episode in which a girl becomes close to the Doctor, to aggravate her. She's going to be stressed throughout this whole story, and this is why. But shhh, you didn't hear it from me!

-Fay x

"We need to talk." The Doctor said. Eleanor's smile faded.

"Oh?" She asked.

"What are you doing?" He asked, looking into her eyes. She stood back, confused.

"I'm stood here..?"

"No. I'm not talking to you." The Doctor said. Eleanor shook her head at the crazy man.

"Okay..."

"I'm talking to Amaryllis." He interrupted. Eleanor froze.

"How did you..?" She asked.

"I'm not stupid. Your eyes keep flashing, your moods keep changing. Your aggressive side is Amaryllis, isn't it? You killed today." The Doctor accused.

"I was protecting my friends!" Eleanor shouted. The Doctor nodded to himself.

"Your eyes are purple, El." He said, sadly. Eleanor shrieked and ran to look at them in a mirror.

Sure enough, there they where again. Purple with pink flecks.

"What's happening to me?" She asked, her voice increasing in octave.

"I don't know. But we'll figure it out. I think that when you become angry, you turn into Amaryllis. How did you control yourself before?" The Doctor asked, gently sitting her down.

"I thought of you." She said miserably. He smiled to himself and nodded.

"Right. This is what we do. When Amaryllis wakes up again, you think of me and you keep being Eleanor." The Doctor said. "I don't want you killing more people." He whispered, and leaned his forehead against hers. She nodded and wiped a tear away from her cheek.

"How's your chest?" He asked, reminding himself of her injury.

"Okay. I healed it, I think." She told him. "I want to go home." Eleanor sobbed. "I don't want to be involved in anything to do with Demons Run. I want to go the past." She cried.

The Doctor nodded sadly and got to his feet. He pressed buttons, flipped switches and pulled levers on the TARDIS.

When they landed, he turned to her.

"I love you. Don't forget that." He said.

"I love you too." She replied, kissing him gently.

ELEANOR

When I left the TARDIS, I firstly went to get coffee to calm myself down.

Here is a list of my extensive problems:

1.) I am morphing into a deadly Warrior, called Amaryllis. And she has purple eyes and no emotions, apparently.

2.) I am going to be constantly worried about Amy, regarding the Melody incident.

3.) I have to keep the fact that River Song is Melody Pond a secret.

4.) I don't even know who the HELL River Song is to me.

5.) I am scared to go back to the previous Doctor.

6.) The previous Doctor was walking right up to me, with a stupid happy smile on his face.

As soon as he saw me, his smile faded a little. He rushed over. "El, what's wrong?" He asked.

"Nothing." I said, forcing a smile.

"Right. We're off. I got a signal, and I thought, who better to follow it with than my future wife?" He asked, grinning and linking my arm. Having this Doctor act this way around me reassured me, I must admit.

"Oh, yeah. And it's pretty urgent." The Doctor said, and began sprinting into the TARDIS.

A familiar face was there, but it was someone who I hadn't seen in a while.

"Martha Jones." I grinned. "Great to see you again."

She smiled, but looked panicked.

"So, what's going on?" I asked, as the Doctor bounded over to the controls.

"Off we go!" He exclaimed. We all grabbed a hold of the console. "Ahh! They're following us!" He exclaimed.

"How can they do that, you've got a time machine?" Martha asked.

"Stolen technology. They've got a Time Agent's vortex manipulator. They can follow us wherever we go, right across the universe. They're never going to stop." He said.

"Maybe it's Jack!" I said, trying to reassure them. The Doctor ran a hand through his hair.

"It's not. Unless... We'll have to..." He said, looking at Eleanor. "Martha, you trust me, don't you?" He asked, staring into her eyes/

"Of course I do. Both of you." Martha said.

"Cause it all depends on you." He said. He sprinted below the console to get something.

"What does, what am I supposed to do?" Martha asked.

The Doctor pulled out an ornate watch, and also pulled Eleanor's out of her pocket.

"Take these watches. Cause our lives depend on it. The watch- Martha. The watches-"

I woke up, the light streaming into my bedroom. I blinked in confusion, looking at the ornate Victorian room. I pushed myself out of bed, and then reminded myself who I was.

An English teacher. How could I forget? I chuckled to myself, before hearing a knock at the door.

"Come in." I said.

A maid entered, carrying my breakfast on a tray. When she saw I was only dressed in my nightgown, she blushed and turned around.

"Sorry, Miss Thorn. You're not dressed. I'll come back in a minute." She said.

"Don't be silly. Give it here." I grinned, taking the tray from her. "Thank you." I said. She smiled and hurried out of my room.

She felt uncomfortable around me, because not only was I a teacher- something unusual for a lady to be in Victorian times- but because I treated her kindly.

For some reason, she felt like a friend. And then I remembered.

"Martha! Come here!" I demanded, and she popped her head back into the room. "I had a dream about you last night!" I exclaimed. She smiled slightly and walked into the room fully.

"Oh, yes. Miss Thorn?" She asked.

"We were friends, we travelled with this man... a nurse of some sort. And the things we saw..." I said, but I couldn't quite remember.

"A teacher and a housemaid, miss Thorn? That's impossible." Martha said.

"We were in another world." I whispered.

"Well, it can't be true. This is funny, you know. Mr Smith said the same to me this morning, when I brought him breakfast, Miss."

"Really? Well. I must meet this man." I laughed, and she left the room.

I turned to change into my long blue dress, but something caught my attention. A watch. A fob watch. Ornate.

That morning, I was walking to my classroom, a pile of English books in my arm, when I spotted the most handsome man. He was a teacher.

"Good morning, sir." I smiled, as we passed each other. He stopped me with a hand on my arm.

"Do we know each other?" He asked.

"No. I was just being-"

"No. I mean, are we not friends?" He asked. It was odd. I thought the exact same thing. I shrugged, and he dropped his hand, looked confused and walked away.

That must be Mr Smith.

Martha walked past me.

"Morning, Miss." She said.

"Morning, Martha!" I said. The maid next to her looked shocked as to the fact that I just called Miss Jones by her first name.

I reached my first class of the day. I walked in to the usual leers and cheers when one walks into a room full of boys not used to women teachers.

"Not this again." I muttered. A young boy at the front chuckled at my comment.

I quickly handed out the books, and instructed them to read the books out loud. Some of the boys struggled with reading, and I was determined to help them.

"No, dear. That word isn't 'Honest.' You don't pronounce the H. You sound it out like 'Onest.'" I told him, and he looked confused.

I walked over and helped him.

At Lunch, I was on corridor duty. This meant I had to make sure the boys weren't loitering around. I stood near Martha, and her maid friend from before. For some reason, I felt a strong connection with Miss Jones.

The two suddenly started laughing, and the sound caused me to smile gently.

"Ah, now then, you two." A pupil said. He was a horrible smarmy student, named Baines. "You're not paid to have fun, are you. Put a little back bone into it." He said.

"Yes sir, sorry sir." The other maid, Jenny, said.

"You there, what's your name again?" Hutchinson asked Martha. I walked a little closer to the boys.

"Martha, Sir. Martha Jones." She said.

"Tell me then, Jones. With hands like those, how can you tell when something's clean?" He asked, and laughed cruelly.

I snapped.

I walked up to the boys.

"You apologize now, or I shall have to do something about it." I shouted. The boys sneered.

"What are you going to do? You're a woman. You can't do anything to me." Baines sneered.

"Oh really?" I asked. I felt most unprofessional, but his actions pushed me to it. I slapped him, hard, making sure my ring caught his cheek.

He looked shocked.

"If I ever catch you speaking like that to members of staff, any member of staff, I shall get you expelled." I warned. He nodded, holding his cheek, and the two boys walked off.

Martha and Jenny looked up at me, shocked.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

She nodded.

"Thank you." She said. I grinned.

"You're welcome."

The bell rang, and I rushed off to take my lesson.

Whilst carrying a number of Shakespeare's books, I was Mr Smith and Matron talking to each other. For some reason, I was overcome with jealousy.

When he looked up and saw me walking past, he handed the last of the books to Joan and rushed over to me. She looked annoyed.

"Miss Thorn! I wanted to ask if we could have a meeting after school?" He asked.

"Yes. Where?" I asked, adjusting the books in my arm.

"I'll come to your classroom. Here." He said, taking some of the books from me, leaving Matron standing with his. I decided not to remind him about her.

We walked to my classroom, and he put the books on my desk for me.

"I'd like to say how proud I am to work at a school where a woman is a teacher. Good for you." He said, grinning.

"Thank you." I grinned back. "Maybe you should be getting back to Matron?" I finally reminded him. He pailed a little before rushing away.

I smirked.

John Smith had fallen down the stairs and couldn't make our meeting, so I'd been told. Whilst walking to Mr Smith's room, Martha Jones joined me.

"Are you going to see Mr Smith, Miss Thorn?" She asked.

"Please, call me Eleanor. We're equals." I said. She smiled. "But, yes. I am. Are you?" I asked. She nodded.

We burst into the room. "Is he alright?" Martha asked.

"Excuse me, Martha. It's hardly good form to enter a master's study without knocking. Hello, Miss Thorn." Matron said.

"Sorry, right, yeah." Martha said, and rushed out the door and knocked before entering again. I smiled at that. "But is he alright? They said you fell down the stairs, sir." Martha said.

"No, it was just a tumble, that's all." He mumbled.

"Have you checked for concussion?" Martha asked. I looked at her oddly.

"I have. And I daresay I know a lot more about it than you." Matron replied.

"Excuse me, Matron. I don't care much for your tone when talking to my friend." I said, looking at her boldly. She stood up straight and Mr Smith stared at me.

She didn't say anything.

"I was just telling Nurse Redfern- Matron, um, about my dreams. They are quite remarkable tales." Mr Smith said.

"I have those dreams too, Sir!" I exclaimed.

"Really?" He asked, leaning forward, looking anxiously at me.

"We're travelling together, Sir. With Martha." I said. He nodded urgently.

"Yes! How odd!" He exclaimed, sitting back. Matron looked peeved. "I keep imagining that we're someone else, Miss Thorn, and we're hiding-" He said.

"Hiding? In what way?" Matron asked.

"Um.. er... almost every night. This is going to sound silly..." He said.

"Try me." I said, smirking, daring him to tell me.

"I dream, quite often, that we both have two hearts, Miss Thorn." He laughed.

"Me too!" I said.

"Well, I can be the judge of that." Matron said, pulling her stethoscope out. She first listened to Mr Smith and then me. One heartbeat each.

"I can confirm the diagnosis- one heart. Singular." She said. I looked at Martha, she looked disappointed. Mr Smith laughed, so I joined in.

"I have written down some of these dreams in the form of fiction... um... not that it would be of any interest." Mr Smith said.

"I might do the same." I said.

"I'd be very interested." Matron said. Matron picked it up.

"Journal of Impossible Things." She read. "Just look at these creatures!" She exclaimed, and I rushed over to look. She lowered the book a little so I could see. I listed their names.

"Daleks. Moxx of Balhoon. Autons. Droid. Rose Tyler. Cybermen. TARDIS." I said, without realising. Mr Smith looked at me in amazement. As did Matron and Martha.

"My dreams." I said. "Rose Tyler. A character. Seems to disappear later on." I said. Mr Smith nodded.

"Ah, that's the box, the blue box, it's always there. Like a.. magic carpet, this funny little box that transports me to far away places." Mr Smith said, I nodded along with me.

"Like a doorway?" Matron asked. He nodded.

"How magical would life be if our dreams were true, Mr Smith?" I asked, smiling faintly.

"If only." He said.

"It's just a dream." I said, giving a short quiet laugh.

Matron turned the page, to a sketch of me. Next to it was a sketch of a ring, an engagement ring by the looks of it. The ring was on my finger. I hid it in my pocket. There was also a picture of the previous me, with long, ginger hair. I smiled. "Me." I said. He nodded, embarrassed.

"In my dreams, I'm very much in love with you." He said.

When Martha and I left, she pulled me to the side of the room.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Please remember. You have to remember me. Think, Eleanor Thorn. Think. Martha Jones. The Doctor. TARDIS. Time Lords. Gallifrey. Think!" She exclaimed.

I thought.

And I remembered.

I gasped loudly, and almost passed out from the shock of remembering. "I'm human!" I exclaimed, back to Eleanor but without being a Time Lord.

Martha smiled, thankful, and grinned at me. "Yes!" She exclaimed.

"How are you doing?" I asked, squeezing her into a hug.

"I'm fine!" She exclaimed. We walked down the corridor, and I let my hair down, pleased to see it was still blonde with pink in.

In front of us was Matron, walking with the Doctor's journal.

"Ma'am! That book-" Martha said.

"Oh, I'll look after it. Don't worry. He did say I could read it." Joan said.

"But it's silly, that's all." Martha said, and Joan turned back again.

"Just stories."

"Who is he, Martha?" She asked.

"I'm sorry?" Martha asked.

"It's like he's left the kettle on. Like... he knows he has something to get back to, but he can't remember what." Joan asked.

"That's him." I laughed.

"You two arrived with him, didn't you? He found you employment here at the school, isn't that right?" Joan asked.

"I used to work for the family, he just sort of inherited me." Martha said.

"And what about you?" Matron asked.

"I know him from a long time ago. He's forgotten about me now. Please don't remind him." I begged. She nodded.

"Well, I'd be careful. If you don't mind my saying, you sometimes seem a little familiar with him. Best remember your position." She said to Martha.

"I don't care for that tone." I said to her, for the second time. She looked at me, harshly, and walked away.

"I don't like her." I whined, and Martha chuckled.

"Me neither." Martha giggled. "She's worse than my dad's girlfriend!"  



	14. Human Nature

ELEANOR

That night, Martha, Jenny and I went to the village pub. Martha came out carrying three pints on a tray for us.

"Ta." I said, taking mine.

"Ooh, it's freezing out here! Why can't we drink inside the pub?" Martha asked.

"Now don't be ridiculous- you do get these notions! It's all very well those Suffragettes; but that's London, that's miles away." Jenny said.

"But don't you just want to scream sometimes, having to bow and scrape and behave, don't you just wanna tell them?" Martha asked.

"I dunno. Things must be different in your country." Jenny said.

"I don't know how you cope, living like this. It's alright for me, at least I get treated with respect. You can't even tell people to go away!" I said. Jenny shrugged.

"Thank God we're not staying." Martha said.

"You keep saying that." Jenny said.

"Just you wait. One more month and I'm as free as the wind- I wish you could come with us, Jenny- you'd love it!" Martha exclaimed.

"Where are you going to go?" Jenny asked.

"Anywhere. Just look up there. Imagine you could go all the way out to the stars." Martha said, motioning to the sky. She and I grinned at each other.

"You don't half say mad things!" Jenny exclaimed, laughing.

"That's where I'm going. Into the sky, all the way out." Martha promised.

Suddenly, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around and came face to face with a handsome man, with black bohemian hair and stubble.

"Oh, hello." I said.

"I just wondered if you'd like to accompany inside?" He asked, smiling. I smiled back.

"Do you mind?" I asked Martha.

"What about the Doctor?" Martha hissed.

"If he's going to have Matron, I'll just have to make him jealous." I smiled. She let out a smirk before continuing with her glare.

"What's your name?" I asked, as we walked inside. We sat at a table, just the two of us. I slipped my engagement ring back into my pocket.

"Robert." He said. "And yours?"

"Eleanor." I replied.

"A name as beautiful as your face." He grinned. I smirked coyly. I turned around after hearing laughter, and my heart stopped.

The Doctor, sat, laughing.

"Are you all right?" Robert asked. I nodded stiffly.

"Of course." I replied, and took a large sip of my drink. I suddenly burst out laughing, leaving Robert looking confused.

"You're too funny!" I exclaimed rather loudly. The Doctor looked over, amused but distracted, and when he saw me, his smile dropped. He stood up abruptly, and walked out of the pub.

"Nice to meet you Robert, but I have to go." I quickly wrote my name and address on his hand. "Come and see me tomorrow. I won't be distracted then." I promised, before kissing his cheek and rushing out.

I rushed over to Martha and Jenny, who were stood with the Doctor.. Sorry, Mr Smith and Matron.

"There! Look in the sky!" Matron exclaimed. I did just that.

"That's beautiful." Jenny gasped.

"Commonly known as a meteorite." I said. Mr Smith looked at me, as if intrigued.

"It's just rocks falling to the ground, that's all." Mr Smith assured them.

"Just like when you two're together in the TARDIS." Martha whispered into my ear.

"It came down in the woods." Matron said,

"No, no no, they always look close, when actually they're miles off. Nothing left but a cinder." Mr Smith said, then turned to me. "Should I escort you back to school, ladies?"

"No, we're fine thanks." Martha said. I quickly waved at Martha and nodded to Mr Smith and Matron.

"Then I shall bid you goodnight." Mr Smith said. I hated how formally the Doctor spoke.

In the morning, I was awoken by Martha knocking on my bedroom door. I opened it and she rushed in.

"Morning." I said, yawning.

"I want to see the TARDIS." Martha said.

"Okay. Me too. I'll come with you." I said. "I was wondering... Why can't we remind Mr Smith that he's the Doctor. It worked for me." I said.

"No. He's never been human for long amounts of time, so he's not used to adapting to have a Time Lord brain inside a human body. You, however, have lived a long time with a Time Lord brain in a human body, so you could remember. He can't. You told me this before you changed." She told me.

She turned around as I changed into a long, floor length creamy ivory dress, with beads on the neckline.

"Let's go." I said. Thankfully, it was a Saturday and I didn't have to teach!

We both rode our bikes to an old stone barn near a wood. We both got off at about the same time and she pushed open the barn door.

Reaching around her neck, Martha pulled the TARDIS key from her neck and unlocked the door.

"Hello old girl." I said, stroking the walls in the TARDIS.

Martha took off her gloves and we walked over to the console. I checked the time rotor. Dormant.

3RD PERSON

"Martha, these watches are us. Those creatures are hunters, they can sniff out anyone, and with us being Time Lords, well, we're unique. They can track us down across the whole of time and space." The Doctor told Martha.

"And the good news is?" Martha asked, laughing.

"They can smell us, but they haven't seen us. And their life's bound to be running out, so we hide, wait for them to die." Eleanor said.

"But they can track us down." Martha said.

"That's why we've got to do it. We have to stop being Time Lords. We're gonna become humans." The Doctor said.

The Doctor pulled down the Chameleon Arch with help from Eleanor.

"Never thought I'd use this. All the times I've wondered..." He said.

"I've done this before. It hurts." Eleanor warned him.

"What does it do?" Martha asked.

"Chameleon Arch. Re-writes our biology. Literally changes every single cell in my body. I've set it to human." The Doctor said.

He took the pocket watches from Martha, and slotted them into the two headsets.

"Now, the TARDIS will take care of everything. Invent a life story for us, find us a setting and integrate us. Can't do the same for you... you'll just have to improvise." Eleanor said. "I should have just enough residual awareness to let you in."

"El, you might not forget. If Martha reminds you, you might just remember me and you. But don't open the fob watch." The Doctor told Eleanor.

"Why will she remember and not you?" Martha asked.

"She's done this before." The Doctor grinned.

"But... hold on. If you're going to rewrite every single cell- isn't that going to hurt?"

"Oh yeah. It hurts." Eleanor assured her, grimacing a little.

Martha watched in horror as her best friends writhed in pain, screaming each others names, as power surged through them, turning them into humans.

Martha turned away from the memory, and activated a few controls on the console. The screen fizzed and showed the Doctor and Eleanor addressing the camera.

"This working?" He asked, tapping the camera. Eleanor smiled, remembering. "Martha, before we change, he's a list of instructions for when we're human. One, don't let us hurt anyone. We can't have that, but you know what humans are like. Two, don't worry about the TARDIS, I'll put it on emergency power so they can't detect it, just let it hide away. Four." He said.

"No. Three." On screen Eleanor amended. "No getting involved in historical events!" Eleanor exclaimed.

"Four- you. Don't let us abandon you. And fi-"

Martha twisted a dial and fast forwarded through the Doctor and Eleanor's speech.

"But there was a meteor, a shooting star, what am I supposed to do then?" Martha asked.

"And twenty three. If anything goes wrong, if they find us, Martha, then you know what to do. Open the watches." Eleanor said. "Everything we are is kept in there."

"Now, I've put a perception filter on it so human us won't think anything of it. To them it's just a watch." The onscreen Doctor added.

"But don't open it unless you have to. Because once it's open, then the Family will find us." Onscreen Eleanor added.

"It's all down to you, Martha. Your choice." The Onscreen Doctor said. They smiled at each other onscreen before leaving. Eleanor then ran back. "Oh, thank you!" She shouted. The Doctor waved to the camera too.

Eleanor missed him.

"I wish you'd come back." Martha whispered. Eleanor heard and enveloped her in a hug.

"Concentrate." Mr Smith said to the boys, teaching them to do shooting practice.

Eleanor watched him from the window of her bedroom sadly. She didn't like him looking down the barrel of a gun.

"Hutchinson, excellent work!" Mr Smith exclaimed.

Eleanor closed her eyes. She wished that even if Mr Smith knew her as a friend, that would be better than barely knowing each other.

That night, Robert knocked on Eleanor's bedroom door. She opened it, and smiled.

"Hello Robert. Come in."

"May I just say, you look beautiful tonight, my dear." Robert told her. (A/N can you tell that Robert is aimed on Robert Downey Jr in Sherlock Holmes? Only the best for El!)

"Why thank you. Why are you so dressed up?" She asked. He was dressed in a posh suit.

"I wanted to ask you to dance with me tonight. Accompany me?" He asked.

Eleanor thought of Mr Smith, knowing that he was going with Matron.

"Yes. I'd like that very much." She smiled, and he kissed her hand.

Later that day, I was in Mr Smith's office, sharing our dreams with each other.

"Yes. And I was Eleanor, but Time Lord Eleanor. And you proposed to me." I told him, thinking of that day to try and help him remember.

"Engaged, eh?" He asked. She then realised just how close they were sitting, but she only moved closer to him.

"Yes. We were very much in love." Eleanor replied, staring at his lips.

"I can't help but feel a strong attraction towards you." Mr Smith said, staring too at Eleanor's lips.

"Give in." Eleanor whispered, and their lips connected. They kissed deeply for about a minute, before Mr Smith broke away.

"I'll be going." Eleanor said, pretending to be embarrassed.

Suddenly, Martha sprinted into the office.

"They've found us." Martha said.

"What?" I exclaimed.

"Martha, I've warned you..." Mr Smith said, looking flustered at Eleanor.

"They've found us, and I've seen them- they look like people, like us, like normal. I'm sorry, but you've got to open the watches." Martha said.

"Where is it?" Martha said, walking to the mantel.

"Mine's in my room." Eleanor said.

"Oh, my God. Where's the Doctor's?" Martha asked. Eleanor marched over and tried looking for it.

"Why are you going along with this?" Mr Smith demanded, staring at Eleanor. She ignored him.

"You had a fob watch! Right there!" Martha exclaimed.

"Did I? I don't remember." Mr Smith said.

"But we need it. Oh, my God. Doctor, we're hiding from aliens, and they've got Jenny and they've... possessed or copied her or something and you've got to tell me, where's the watch?" Martha demanded, and Eleanor looked panicked.

"Oh I see. Cultural differences." Mr Smith said, picking up his journal. "It must be so confusing for you, Martha. This is what we call a story." He said.

"Oh you completely ass!" Eleanor muttered, causing Mr Smith to stare in shock.

"This is not you. This is nineteen thirteen." Martha said, waving at the Doctor.

"Good. This is nineteen thirteen." Mr Smith said.

"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry but you have to snap out of this." Martha muttered, and slapped him across the face. Even Eleanor looked shocked.

"Martha!"

"Wake up! You're coming back to the TARDIS with us." Martha said, and pulled on his hand and tried to pull him.

"How dare you! I'm not going anywhere with an insane servant! Martha, you are dismissed. You will leave these premises immediately. Now get out!" Mr Smith exclaimed.

When Mr Smith walked in, he looked at Eleanor.

"You went along with that to make her feel better, didn't you?" Mr Smith asked. She nodded.

"Nerve of it! Absolute cheek!" He stressed.

"Right. I have to go and get ready for tonight, I'm sorry." Eleanor said, and walked straight out of his office.

Eleanor decided to rock the boat a little, and dress to impress. She wore a shorter dress than ever even thought of at that time, it was above the ankles just! It was a pale pink, with a fairly low neck line, and it hugged her body beautifully. She did her hair all wavy, like it used to be when she was ginger.

Her and Martha had planned on meeting up after the dance and going to the TARDIS and looking fro the watch.

There was a knock on the door, and again she jumped up to answer.

She linked his arm and they walked together to the village dance.

"You look wonderful. I've never seen a dress like it." Robert gushed.

"Thought I'd.. Test people." Eleanor smirked.

"Ha! I like a strong willed girl." Robert said, bursting with pride at the fact that Eleanor was on his arm.

When walking, Eleanor heard Matron talking to her Doctor.

"But the Doctor falls in love!" She exclaimed.

"The devil." Mr Smith joked.

"Amaryllis, I do believe. A soul mate of some sort. Looks like Miss Thorn." Joan said.

Eleanor smirked, and ignored their conversation, but instead made her own with Robert.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Please take your partners for a waltz!" The announcer said, and all the dancers started waltzing.

Eleanor couldn't help but notice that John kept shooting glances at her. He kept looking at her chest, and she pretended not to notice.

So when he walked over to ask Robert if he could dance with her, she was more than happy to go along with it. How she longed to have her Doctor back.

"You can dance!" Eleanor exclaimed, as they waltzed.

"I've surprised myself." John laughed. They danced into another pair. "Sorry."

After they stopped dancing, John looked at Eleanor for a long time. "Should we get a drink?" He asked.

"Shouldn't you be asking Matron that?" Eleanor asked.

"Yes. But you're here instead." He said, looking confused.

They walked over and took a table, and to be safe, Eleanor motioned for Joan and Robert to come.

Suddenly, Martha walked over to the group.

"Please, don't. Not again." Joan begged.

"He's different from any other man you've ever met, right?" Martha asked, as John went to get drinks.

"Yes." Joan said.

"And sometimes he says these strange things, like people and places you've never heard of, yeah? But it's deeper than that. Sometimes when you look in his eyes you know - you just know that there's something else in there. Something hidden. Right behind the eyes, something hidden away. In the dark." Martha said.

"I don't know what you mean, I.." Joan said.

"Yes, you do. I don't mean to be rude, but the awful thing is it doesn't even matter what you think. But you're nice. And you're lucky. And I just wanted to say sorry for what I'm about to do." Martha said and nodded at Eleanor.

Eleanor stood, taking the sonic out of her pocket and held it up for him to see.

"Do you know what this is? Name it. Go on, name it." Martha said.

"John, what is that silly thing? John?" Joan asked.

John took the sonic from Eleanor and turned it around in his hands for a short while.

"You're not John Smith. You're called the Doctor. The man in your journal, he's real. He's you." Eleanor said.

Suddenly, the Family burst into the hall.

"There will be silence! All of you!" Scarecrows filed in after them. "I said silence!" Clarke demanded.

"Mr Clarke! What's going on?" The Announcer asked. Mr Clarke turned and shot at him, dissolving him into nothing. Joan shrieked. Eleanor watched, used to seeing things like this.

"Mr Smith, everything I told you, forget it! Don't say anything!" Martha said. Eleanor pretended to be human again, and so pretended to be shocked.

"We asked for silence! Now then. We have a few questions for Mr Smith and Miss Thorn." Baines said.

"No, better than that." The little girl said. "The teachers. The man and woman. He's the Doctor. I heard them talking."

"You took human form." Baines said. Eleanor pretended to be confused.

"Of course we're human! We were born human! As were you, Baines, and Jenny, and you, Mr Clarke! What is going on, this is madness!" John exclaimed.

"And a human brain too! Simple, thick and dull." Baines said.

"They're no good like this." Jenny said.

"We need Time Lords." Mr Clarke said.

"Easily done." Baines said, smiling creepily. He aimed his gun at the Doctor, and Eleanor gasped.

"Change back."

"I don't know what you're talking about!" John said, panicked.

"Change back!" Baines exclaimed.

"I literally do not know-" John shouted. Jenny grabbed Martha and held a gun to her head too.

"Get off me!" Martha screamed.

"She's your friend, isn't she? Doesn't this scare you enough to change back?" Jenny asked.

"I don't know what you mean!" John insisted.

"Wait a minute... The maid told me about Smith and Thorn. That woman, there." Jenny said, pointing to Eleanor. Matron gasped.

"That's not true!" Eleanor exclaimed, as Clarke grabbed Eleanor and held her hostage with a gun to her head.

"Have you enjoyed it, Doctor? Being human? Has it taught you wonderful things, are you better, richer, wiser? Then let's see you answer this. Which one of them do you want us to kill? Maid or soul mate? Your friend - or your lover? Your choice." Baines said.

"Lay a hand on Eleanor and I'll..." John said, and for a minute, El thought he was the Doctor again.

"John. They won't kill me. They think I'm the same thing as you." Eleanor said calmly. John sighed in relief.

They let El go. But she wasn't done.

She punched Jenny in the face, and kicked the back of her legs, making her lose her balance. Martha almost fell, but Eleanor caught her and held her up. Eleanor pointed the gun at Jenny.

"Who's going to kill who, now?" Eleanor asked.  



	15. The Doctor Comes Back

"The anger of a Time Lord." Jenny said, smirking up at me creepily.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I lied, through gritted teeth. Suddenly, a young boy pulled the Doctor's fob watch out of his jacket, my eyes bugged. He opened the watch.

"Time Lord..."

"It's him!" Baines cried, and using the distraction, I grabbed Jenny instead of just pointing my gun at her.

"One more move and I shoot." I promised.

"Oh, the Time Lady is full of fire." Baines sneered.

"And you can shut up!" Martha cried, and motioned for me to shoot. I shot at the ceiling.

"Careful, Son of mine. This is all for you so that you can live forever." Mr Clark said.

"Shoot you down!" Baines exclaimed. I rolled my eyes.

"Try it. We die together." I promised.

"Would you really pull the trigger? You're too much like your Doctor." Baines said.

"You really want to test me, today of all days? I'm not in the best of moods." I shrugged. "And who even is the Doctor?" I exclaimed, feigning being confused.

Baines looked at me, out of his depth, and he lowered his gun.

"Doctor, get everyone out. There's a door at the side. It's over there. Go on!" Martha exclaimed. John stood, indecisive. He looked in pain, terrified and confused. I longed to throw my arms around him.

"Do it, Mr Smith, I mean you!" Martha exclaimed.

"Do what she said. Everybody out now." Joan said, ushering everyone out. "Don't argue, Mr Jackson. They're mad. That's all we need to know. Susan, Miss Cooper, outside, all of you!"

The villagers left the hall, screaming. I turned, and saw Robert staring at me, shocked and hurt.

"Move yourself, boy. Back to school, quickly." Mr Smith told Latimer.

"And you. Go on. Just shift." Martha told him.

"Miss Thorn, come with me." John said, holding his hand out to me. It reminded me of old times.

"I can't." I said, looking at Joan. He nodded, and left.

John rushed to the door, before looking back at me, then at Joan. He started walking over to me, but I shook my head. I'd stay with Martha.

"Eleanor, go back. They want you. It's not safe." Martha told me. I nodded, gave her the gun and sprinted out, joining John after all. I didn't want to be eaten by those people.

Soon, Martha joined us.

"Don't just stand there, move! God, you're both rubbish as humans! Come on!" Martha exclaimed, running past us. I soon followed, and so did John and Joan.

We arrived, breathless, at school. John closed the heavy wooden door behind us. We rushed into the school's front hall. He began ringing a bell.

"What're you doing?" I asked.

"Maybe one ma can't fight them, but this school teaches us to stand together. Take arms! Take arms!" He called. I shook my head. He wouldn't fight. He just wouldn't.

Boys came rushing down the stairs.

"I say, Sir. Miss. What's the matter?" Hutchinson asked Mr Smith and I.

"Enemy at the door, Hutchinson. Enemy at the door. Take arms!"

The boys began loading machine guns and pulling out other weapons.

I know that I had armed myself to save my friends, but somehow that was different. I wasn't myself. And Amaryllis couldn't come out when I was human, so I was no longer that warrior.

"You can't do this. Mr Smith!" I exclaimed, looking him in the eyes.

"Maintain position over the stable yard." Mr Smith said.

"They're just boys! You can't ask them to fight!" I exclaimed.

"Faster now! That's it!"

"They don't stand a chance." I muttered, miserably.

"They're cadets, Eleanor. They are trained to defend the King and all his properties."

The Headmaster suddenly came into the room.

"What in thunder's name is this? Before I devise an excellent and endless series of punishments for each and every one of you, could someone explain very simply and immediately exactly what is going on?" He asked.

"Headmaster, I have to report the school is under attack." John told him.

"Really? Is that so? Perhaps you and I should have a word in private."

"I promise you, sir. I was in the village with Matron. It's Baines, sir. Jeremy Baines and Mr Clark from Oakham Farm. They've gone mad, sir. They've got guns. They've already murdered people in the village. I saw it happen."

"Miss Thorn, is that so?" He asked. I couldn't say no, could I?

"I'm afraid so, Sir." I said.

"Murder on our own soil?" He asked.

"I saw it too, yes." Joan said.

"Perhaps you did well then, Mr Smith. What makes you think the danger's coming here?"

"Well, sir, they said, um.."

"Baines threatened Mr Smith and Miss Thorn, Sir. Um, said he'd follow him. We don't know why." Joan said.

"Very well. Boys, remain on guard. Mr Snell, telephone the police. Mr Philips, with me. We shall investigate." The Headmaster said.

I ground my teeth.

"No, it's not safe out there." Martha said, standing in front of the Headmaster.

"Mr Smith, it seems your favourite servant is giving me advice. You will control her, Sir."

"I've gotta find that watch. I got yours, by the way." Martha told her. I nodded.

"I'm not opening it until he does." I said.

John led me and Joan to the windows, where we watched The Headmaster talk to the Family.

Suddenly, Baines shot at Mr Philips, disintegrating him. John gulped. I linked his hand through mine and squeezed it.

The Headmaster walked in.

"Mr Philips has been murdered, Mr Smith, Miss Thorn. Can you tell me why?" He asked.

"Honestly, sir, I have no idea. And the telephone line's been disconnected. We're on our own." John replied.

"If we have to make a fight of it, then make a fight we shall. Hutchinson, we'll build a barricade within the courtyards, fortify the entrances, build our defences. Gentlemen, in the name of the King, we shall stand against them." The Headmaster said.

"Yes, sir!" The boys saluted. I closed my eyes and sighed.

We walked outside. I was expected to stay in, but I wasn't leaving the Doctor. John Smith may have fallen in love with Joan Redfern, but I certainly hadn't fallen out of love with the Doctor.

"Sandbags to the north and west." The Headmaster said.

"...Stables in case of.." John said.

"Load the spare magazines with bullets."

"Quickly now! Take the magazine cut-off out!" Hutchinson shouted. I stood by John's side as he held his gun.

"That's it. We need water for the Vickers gun. See to it! Faster! All of you, faster!"

"Lockley, when firing commences, you're in charge of the gallery." John said.

"Peterson, that is not acceptable. Report to your senior officer."

Martha and John were searching Mr Smith's office for the fob watch.

"I know it sounds mad, but when the Doctor and Eleanor became humans, they took the alien part of themselves and stored it inside the watches. They're not really watches, they just look like watches." Martha said.

"And alien means... not from abroad. I take it." Joan said.

"The man you call John Smith... and Eleanor Thorn.. They were born on another world." Martha said.

"A different species."

"Yeah."

"Then tell me, in this fairy tale... What is Eleanor to the Doctor?"

"They're soul mates. Engaged to be married. The lot." Martha said.

"And who are you?" Joan asked.

"Just a friend." Martha said.

"You're human, I take it?" Joan asked.

"Human, don't worry, and more than that, I just don't follow him around. I'm training to be a doctor-not an alien doctor-a proper doctor, a doctor of medicine."

"Well that certainly is nonsense. Women might train to be doctors, but hardly a skivvy and hardly one of your colour." Joan sneered.

"Oh, d'you think?" Martha asked. "Bones of the hand." She said, and held up her left hand. She pointed to each bone as she said it. "Carpal bones, proximal row; scaphoid, lunate, triquetrum, pisiform. Distal row; trapezium, trapezoid, capitate, hamate. Then the metecarpal bones extending in three distinct phalanges; proximal, middle, distal."

"You read that in a book." Joan sneered.

"Yes, to pass my exams." Martha laughed. "Can't you see this is true?"

"I must go." Joan said, and headed for the door.

"If we find that watch we can stop them." Martha called.

"Those boys are going to fight. I might not be a doctor, but I'm still their nurse. They need me." Joan said, and walked out of the office.

John and I walked into a room where the boys were. Joan was in a uniform, preparing for after the battle.

"Joan, it's not safe." I said, walking over to her.

"I'm doing my duty." Joan said. "Besides, it never stopped you, did it?" She asked. I looked at her. I then turned away and walked back to John.

Joan joined us.

"Tell me about Nottingham." Joan said.

"Sorry?" John asked.

"That's where you were brought up. Tell me about it."

"Well, it lies on the River Leen, it's southern boundary following the course of the River Trent which flows from Stoke to the Humber." John said.

"That sounds like an encyclopaedia. Where did you live?" Joan asked. I smirked.

"Broadmoor Street. Adjacent to Hotley Terrace in the district of Radford Parade."

"But more that facts. When you were a child, where did you play? All those secret little places...dens and hideaways that only a child knows? Tell me, John. Please tell me."

"How can you think that I'm not real? When I kissed you, was that a lie?" John asked. I coughed and turned away, my heart casually breaking.

"No, it wasn't. No. But you're not supposed to be with me." Joan said.

"But this Doctor sounds like some... some romantic lost prince. Would you rather that? And me with her?" He asked, pointing to me.

"No." Joan said.

"I've got to go." John said.

"Martha was right about one thing, though. Those boys-they're children. John Smith wouldn't want them to fight, never mind the Doctor. The John Smith I was getting to know-he knows it's wrong, doesn't he?" Joan said.

"Mr Smith, if you please!" The Headmaster called.

"What choice do I have?" He asked. He left, and I followed.

"I must ask that you stay inside, Miss Thorn." The Headmaster said.

"Not a chance." I muttered.

"Fine. Stand by Mr Smith. Don't wander off." He demanded, and I nodded and stood by him.

"Stand to!"

The scarecrow's pounded on the door.

"At post!"

Everyone aimed their guns, including John.

"Enemy approaching, sir." A boy said.

"Steady! Find the biting point."

The wood bars across the gate cracked and the scarecrows entered.

"Fire!"

The boys fired. The noise was immense. Some of the scarecrows fell, but most kept coming.

I looked up at John. He wasn't shooting. He looked distressed.

"Cease fire!" The Headmaster called. "They're straw. Like he said. Straw!"

"Then no one's dead, sir? We killed no one?" Hutchinson asked.

Footsteps are heard and everyone headed back to their guns.

A little girl carrying a balloon entered.

"You child, come out of the way. Come into the school. You don't know who's out there. It's the Cartwright girl, isn't it? Come here. Come to me." The Headmaster said.

"Sir, I wouldn't!" I exclaimed.

Martha pelted out of the school. "Mr Rocastle, please. Don't go near her." Martha begged.

"You were told to be quiet." The Headmaster told her.

"Listen to me, she's part of it. Eleanor, tell him!"

"She was. You should stay back, Headmaster." I called.

"Mr Smith." Martha said.

"She was- she was with- Baines in the village."

"Mr Smith, I've seen many strange sights this night but there is no cause on God's earth that would allow me to see this child in the field of battle, sir. Come with me." He said to Lucy.

"You're funny." Lucy said.

"That's right. Now take my hand."

"So funny." Lucy said, and pulled out a gun and shot the headmaster. "Now who's going to shoot me- any of you, really?" She shouted.

"Put down your guns." Mr Smith commanded.

"But sir- the Headmaster-" Hutchinson said.

"I'll not see this happen. Not anymore. You will retreat...in an orderly fashion back through the school. Hutchinson, lead the way." John said.

"But sir-"

"I said, lead the way."

"Go on then, run!" Baines shouted, and fired his gun into the air.

There was screaming and everyone began to retreat.

"Come on!" Martha exclaimed.

The boys ran back into school.

"Come on! Quick as you can!" I called, ushering the boys in.

"Don't go to the village! It's not safe!" Martha said.

"And you, ladies." John said to us.

"Not until we get the boys out." Joan said.

"Now, I insist. Eleanor, I must ask that you stay with me. You seem to know what's going on. But the pair of you, just go. If there are many boys inside, we'll find them." John said, and he opened the door. He then slammed it shut after seeing scarecrows. "I think.. retreat."

We all sprinted away.

We were in the woods near school.

"Doctor! Eleanor!" Mr Clark shouted in a sing song voice. We stopped and looked. Mr Clark was stood in front of the TARDIS. My blood felt cold.

"Come back, Doctor. Come back,Eleanor. Come home. Come and claim your prize."

"Out you come, Eleanor! There's a good girl. Come to the Family!" Baines shouted at me.

"Time to end it now!" Jenny called.

"You recognise it, don't you?" I asked John softly.

"I've never seen it in my life." He replied.

"Do you remember it's name?" I asked.

"I'm sorry, John. But you wrote about it. The blue box. You dreamt of a blue box." Joan said.

"I'm not-I'm John Smith. That's all I want to be. John Smith, with his life...and his job... Why can't I be John Smith? Isn't he a good man?" He asked.

"Yes. Yes he is." Joan replied. I shook my head.

"Why can't I stay?" John asked.

"We need the Doctor." I said.

"So what am I then, just a story?" He asked me. He ran off, Joan and I immediately ran after him.

"This way. I think I know somewhere we can hide." Joan said, and we rushed down a country road.

"We've got to keep going." John said.

"Just listen to me for once, John. Follow me." Joan said.

We arrived at a dark house.

"Here we are. It should be empty. Oh, it's a long time since I've run that far." Joan said, out of breath.

"Who lives here?" I asked.

"If I'm right. No one." Joan told me. We walked in. "Hello? No one home. We should be safe here." Joan said.

"Whose house is it, though?" Martha asked.

"Um, the Cartwrights. That little girl at the school-she's Lucy Cartwright, or she's taken Lucy Cartwright's form. If she came home this afternoon and if the parents tried to stop their little girl, then they were vanished." She said, and touched the teapot on the table. "Stone cold. How easily I accept these ideas."

John sat at a chair and stared at me.

"We must go to them before anyone else dies." He said.

"You can't." Joan said. "Martha, there must be something we can do."

"Not without the watch." Martha said.

"You're the Doctor's lover, his soul mate! Can't you help? What exactly do you do for him? Why does he need you?" He demanded, shouting at me.

"Because he's lonely." I replied.

"And that's what you want me to become." John said.

"No. You're not lonely anymore. You have me. And a bunch of friends. You're never without anyone. Ever. Never ever." I told him.

"Never say never ever." He told me. My eyes sparkled, he said that as the Doctor.

There was a knock at the door and we all turned to face it.

"What if it's them?" Joan asked.

"I'm not an expert, but I don't think scarecrows knock." Martha said, and opened the door while John and I looked at each other.

Latimer walked into the room to me. "I brought you this. It keeps saying both of your names." He told me, and handed me the watch.

"Eleanor." The watch whispered.

I held the watch out in front of John. "Hold it." I insisted.

"I won't." John said.

"Please, just hold it." Martha said.

"It told me to find you, it wants to be held." Latimer said.

"You've had this watch all this time? Why didn't you return it?" Joan asked.

"Because it was waiting. And because I was scared of the Doctor and Amarylllis." Latimer said.

"We're the last people you should be scared of." I said.

"But I've seen you both. You're like.. fire and ice and rage. He's like the night and the day and she's like the storm in the heart of the sun." Latimer said.

"Stop it." John said.

"They're ancient and forever. They burn at the centre of time and he can see the turn of the universe."

"Stop! I said stop it!" John shouted.

"And he's wonderful." I whispered.

"I've still got this. The journal." Joan said, pulling out his journal.

"Those are just stories." John said.

"Now we know that's not true. Perhaps there's something in here." Joan said. We suddenly heard an explosion and we gasped.

"What the hell?" Martha asked and rushed to the window and see meteorites falling to the ground.

"They're destroying the village." Joan said.

"Watch." John said, and picked it up.

"John, don't." Joan said.

"Come closer." The watch said.

"Can you hear it?" Latimer asked, and Martha pulled out mine and it was talking too.

"Closer. Closer."

"I think they're asleep. Waiting to awaken." John said.

"Why did he speak to me?" Latimer asked.

"Oh, low level telepathic field. You were born with it. Just an extra synaptic engram causing-" The Doctor said, in his normal voice. John inhaled deeply. "Is that how he talks?

"That's him!" I exclaimed, smiling.

"All you have to do is open it and he's back." Martha added/

"You knew this all along and yet you watched while Nurse Redfern and I-" John choked.

" I didn't know how to stop you! He gave me a list of things to watch out for but that wasn't included. I thought if you'd fall in love with anyone, it'd be Eleanor!" Martha exclaimed.

"Falling in love? That didn't even occur to him?" John asked.

"He's already in love, John. Don't you see? He's absolutely crazy in love with Eleanor." Martha laughed. I looked down.

"Right. And now you expect me to die?" He asked.

"It was always going to end, though! The Doctor said the Family's got a limited lifespan. That's why they need to consume a Time Lord. Otherwise, three months and they die. Like mayflies, he said."

"So your job was to execute me." John accused.

"People are dying out there! They need him and El and I need him and El. 'Cause you've got no idea of what they're like. I've only just met them. It wasn't even that long ago, but they are everything...he's just everything to me and he doesn't even look at me, but I don't care.." Martha said. My head snapped up and she avoided eye contact with me.

"It's getting closer." Latimer said, as the house rocked with explosions.

"I should have thought of it before-I can give them this. Just the watch. Then they can leave and I can stay as I am!" John said.

"You can't do that!" I shouted.

"If they want the Doctor, they can have him."

"I won't let you." I hissed.

"If they get what they want, then- then-" John said.

"Then it all ends in destruction. I never read to the end but those creatures would live forever to breed and conquer. War across the stars...for every child." Joan said. I smiled gratefully at her.

John was at the verge of tears.

"Martha, Timothy, would you leave us three alone, please?" Joan asked.

"If I could do this instead of you, then I would." Joan said.

"He won't love you." John said.

"No. But he'll love her. And I know deep down, John, you do too. Look her in the eyes and tell her you don't love her." Joan said.

He looked me in the eyes and tried saying it. But he couldn't. I then started crying. I couldn't help it.

"But I love you as well, Joan." John said. "But he won't!"

"If he's not you, then I don't want him to. I had one husband, and he died...I never thought...ever again. And then you...you were so..." Joan said.

I sniffed, and wiped the tears away with my hands.

"It was real. I wan't... I really thought..." John said.

"Let me see. Blasted thing. Blasted, blasted thing. Can't even hear it. It's nothing to me." Joan said, taking the watch and turning it round in her hands.

John reached out and touched Joan's hand, both holding the watch.

3RD PERSON

John imagined their wedding, but Joan's face kept morphing into Eleanor's. It was the same. When he visioned having children, Eleanor was the mother. Walking in the park with Joan and their children, but Eleanor kept turning into Joan.

"Did you see?" John asked.

"The Time Lord had such adventures but he could never have a life like that." Joan said. She hadn't seen Eleanor's face.

"And yet I could!" John said, but he knew it wasn't true.

"What are you going to do?" Eleanor asked, gently.

John and Eleanor, stumbling and pretending to be human fools, fell aboard the Family's ship.

"Just-" Eleanor said, clumsily lurching and leaning against the side of the ship, hitting buttons as she went. "Just stop the bombardment. That's all we're asking. We'll do anything you want, just stop."

"Say please." Baines said.

"Please." John said. Jenny turned a switch.

"Wait a minute. Still human." She said, inhaling deeply.

"Now I can't-I can't pretend to understand, not for a second, but I want you to know that I'm innocent in all this. He made me John Smith. It's not like I had any control over it." John said, and he did the same as Eleanor and fell into buttons.

"They didn't make themselves human, they made themselves idiots." Jenny laughed.

"Same thing, isn't it?" Baines asked.

"I don't care about this Doctor and your family. I just want you to go. So, I've made my choice." John said, and both he and El held out their watches. "You can have them. Just take them, please! Take them away."

"At last." Baines said, taking the watches. He suddenly grabbed John's lapels. "Don't think that saved your lives."

He pushed John away, and as he fell, John pressed more buttons.

"Family of mine, now we shall have the lives of Time Lords." Baines smirked.

"They're empty!" Baines roared, and turned on John. Now the Doctor.

"Well, where's it gone?" The Doctor asked.

"You tell me." Baines said. He threw the watch, and both the Doctor and Eleanor caught them.

Eleanor's eyes flashed purple dangerously, but she tried to control Amaryllis.

"Oh, I think the explanation might be you've been fooled by a simple olfactory misdirection- little bit like a ventriloquism of the nose." Eleanor smirked.

"It's an elementary trick in certain parts of the galaxy. But it has got to be said, I don't like the look of that hydroconometre." The Doctor said. "Do you, El?"

"Ooh. No, I don't. It seems to be indicating you've got energy feedback all the way through the retrostabalisers feeding back into the primary heat converter. What do you say, Doctor?" Eleanor asked.

"Yes. It seems that way. But.. if there's one thing they shouldn't have done, they shouldn't have let us press all those buttons. But, in fairness, I will give you one word of advice- Run." The Doctor said, and grabbing Eleanor's hand, they ran off the ship.

The Doctor and Eleanor changed into their regular clothes.

Eleanor waited outside with Martha while The Doctor talked to Joan.

"Is it done?" She asked.

"It's done." The Doctor replied.

"Police and the arm are at the school. The parents have come to take the boys home. I should go. They'll have so many questions. I'm not sure what to say." She said, and turned around. "Oh, you look the same. Goodness, you must forgive my rudeness. I...find it difficult to look at you. Doctor, must call you Doctor. Where is he? John Smith?"

"He's in here somewhere." The Doctor assured her.

"Like a story. Could you change back?" Joan asked.

"Yes." The Doctor said.

"Will you?" Joan asked.

"No."

"I see. Well then. He was braver than you, in the end. That ordinary man. You chose to change. He chose to die." Joan said.

"Come with me." The Doctor said.

"I'm sorry?" Joan asked.

"Travel with me."

"As what?" Joan asked.

"My companion." The Doctor replied.

"But that's not fair. You've got Eleanor. And what must I look like to you, Doctor? I must seem so very small."

"No. You're not small." The Doctor insisted. "Please come with me."

"I can't." Joan said.

"Why not?"

"You, Doctor, have Eleanor, your soul mate. And John Smith is dead and you look like him." Joan said. "You can go."

The Doctor left, and Joan picked up the journal and cried silently.

Eleanor and Martha waited by the TARDIS.

"All right. Molto bene!" The Doctor exclaimed.

"How was she?" Martha asked.

"Time we moved on." The Doctor said.

"If you want, I could-" Martha said.

"Time we moved on." The Doctor insisted.

"I meant to say back there, last night, I would have said anything to get you to change." Martha said, and El smirked.

"Of course you would." The Doctor agreed. "But I never said, thanks for looking after us." The Doctor said, and picked Martha up in a big hug. Eleanor did the same, grinning.

And then the Doctor turned to El.

"And thanks to you, for not giving up. It must have been hard seeing me with Joan." He said.

"I still had you though. You shouted at Martha." Eleanor pointed out. He shook his head.

"Sorry." He said. He then bent down and smashed his lips against El, tangling his hands in her hair and picking her up. Eleanor reached into her pocket and slid her engagement ring back on. Little did they know, but Joan was watching sadly from the window.

Timothy Latimer suddenly walked over to us. "Doctor, Martha, Eleanor." He said.

"Tim-Timothy-Timber." the Doctor smiled.

"I just wanted to say good-bye. And thank you, because I've seen the future and I now know what must be done. It's coming, isn't it? The biggest war ever." Tim said.

"You don't have to fight." I told him.

"I think we do."

"But you could get hurt." I replied.

"Well, so could you, travelling round with him, but it's not going to stop you." He retorted.

"Tim, I'd be honoured if you'd take this." The Doctor said, handing his watch over to the boy.

"I can't hear anything." Tim said.

"No, it's just a watch now. But keep it with you. For good luck." The Doctor said.

"Look after yourself." Martha said, hugging the boy and kissing his cheek.

I hugged him too, and smiled back as he beamed at me.

"You'll like this bit." The Doctor said, and I nodded as we walked into the TARDIS.

We dematerialised, and I watched the boy smile on the TARDIS screen as we left.

I love this episode so much. I remember watching it for the first time and actually cheering when the Doctor came back! Haha!

Please comment, review and all that jazz.

-Fay x 


	16. WibblyWobbly TimeyWimey Stuff

ELEANOR

I'd decided that I wanted to spend an hour or two on my own, in Modern London. So I said goodbye to the Doctor and Martha, and set my clock for three hours, which is when they'd come back for me.

I intended to shop all day, get some new clothes whilst taking my mind of the sudden ladies man the Doctor had turned into.

As I walked through the back streets of London, I came across a blonde woman climbing over beautiful, ornate gates.

"You need some help?" I called. She jumped, and turned to me.

"Who are you?" She asked.

"I'm Eleanor." I said, climbing over the gate to join her. "I like adventures." I promised, smiling gently. She smiled back, handing me a spare torch.

"I'm Sally. Sally Sparrow." She said.

"Nice name. Let's go." I grinned, and we walked into the house.

We climbed through a boarded window, and whilst Sally took some photo's of chandeliers and other beautiful things in the house, I spotted something odd with the wallpaper.

"Sally, look." I said, pointing at the peeling wallpaper. There was a letter, B, peeking underneath the wallpaper. Sally walked over and peeled it away.

It read "BEWARE THE WEEPING ANGEL.." Under that it read, "OH, AND DUCK!"

Sally looked confused, as did I. She peeled more paper away. "REALLY, DUCK! SALLY SPARROW, ELEANOR THORN, DUCK NOW!"

We both jumped to the floor, just as a pot was launched into the room, almost hitting us. It bounced off the wall and smashed on the ground.

"How odd." I said, standing back up and peeling the last of the paper away.

"LOVE FROM THE DOCTOR, 1969."

I yelped happily. He knew that this is where I'd be coming. This is something he'd done in the past, and had come back to warn me, the clever man!

"What's up?" Sally asked.

"I know the Doctor. He's my fiancee." I told her, smiling happily.

"This says 1969." Sally said. I didn't really want to tell her everything, so I lied.

"His little joke." I grinned. She smiled and shook her head.

"This place is giving me the creeps. Should we go?" She asked, I nodded and we climbed back out the window and over the gate.

I was following Sally into her friends house, after finding that no, the Doctor and Martha had not come back for me. They definitely knew I'd be here, helping Sally. I assumed I needed to stick with her, seeing as they'd planned it so well. Even writing my name on the wall.

I assumed that they'd been here, needed help from Sally, and thus she needed help from me?

"Kathy?" Sally called, walking through a hallway.

We walked into a room, where the Doctor was talking on screen.

"That's the Doctor." I told her. She looked at him for a moment.

"Yet. They're coming. They're coming for you, but listen, your lives could depend on this. Don't blink. Don't even blink. Blink and you're dead. They are fast, faster than you can believe. Don't turn your back, don't look away, and don't blink. Good luck." He said.

I looked around the room, some of the screens had images of the Doctor and Martha.

"That's your fiancee." Sally said, pointing. I nodded.

Sally pulled her mobile out and dialled a number, before motioning at me to follow her into the kitchen.

All I heard was Sally's side of the phone call.

"Bit freaked. Need to talk. Making you a coffee. Oh, and my friend's here." Sally said. "No. I'm in the kitchen. What's that on all those screens in your front room?" Sally asked. "No."

The kitchen door opened and a completely naked man walked in.

"Okay. Not sure, but really, really, hoping. Pants?" He asked.

"No." Sally said. I averted my eyes.

Sally put her phone away. A tired looking girl suddenly rushed into the kitchen, thrusting pants at the man.

"Put them on! Put them on! I hate you! What're you thinking?" She demanded. The man drifted away. "Sorry. My useless brother. Sally? What's wrong? What happened?" The woman asked. Then she saw me. "I'm Kathy. Who're you?" She asked, smiling.

"Eleanor Thorn." I told her.

"Met her at this house, she helped me and then her friends didn't come and pick her up so she has nowhere to go. I said she could come with me." Sally sighed, before telling Kathy everything that happened at Western Drumlin.

All three of us climbed over the gates again.

"Okay, let's investigate! Us three, girl inspectors. Love it. Hey! Sparrow, Nightingale and Thorn. That so works!" Kathy exclaimed. I giggled to myself.

"Bit ITV." Sally said.

"I know!"

We walked into the entrance hall. "What did you come here for anyway?" Kathy asked.

"I love old things. They make me feel sad." Sally replied.

"I like that. That's nice." I replied, smiling. I'd tell the Doctor that one.

"What's good about sad?" Kathy asked, walking into the drawing room.

"It's happy for deep people." Sally replied, causing me to giggle again. She grinned at me.

We looked at the writing on the wall, and I felt happy knowing the Doctor had been here. We walked into the conservatory to look at the garden. It was overgrown with statues of angels.

"The weeping angel." I said. One had its head in its hands, as if crying.

"Not bad in my garden." Kathy said.

"It's moved." Sally said.

"It's what?" Kathy asked, turning on her.

"Since yesterday. I'm sure of it. It's closer. It's got closer to the house." Sally said, looking disturbed.

"You're right." I agreed. Bloody aliens.

"Eleanor, how can our names be written here? How is that possible?" Sally asked. The doorbell rang.

"Who'd come here? What are you doing? It could be a burglar." Kathy said, freaked out. Sally and I moved towards the door.

"A burglar who rings the doorbell?"

"Okay. I'll stay here in case of.." Kathy said.

"In case of?" Sally asked.

"Incidents." Kathy replied.

"Okay." I smirked, and opened the door.

"I'm looking for Sally Sparrow." The man at the door said. My eyes bugged.

"How did you know I'd be here?" Sally demanded.

"I was told to bring this letter on this date at this exact time to Sally Sparrow." The man replied.

"Looks old." I noted.

"It is old. I'm sorry, do you have anything with a photograph on it, like a driving license?" The man asked.

"How did he know I was coming here? I didn't tell anyone. How could anyone have known?" Sally demanded.

"It's all a bit complicated. I'm not sure I understand myself." The man replied.

"Go on." I said.

"I'm sorry. I feel really stupid. But I was told to make absolutely sure. It's so hard to tell with these little photographs isn't it?" The man asked, looking at a photo of Sally.

"Well, here goes. I suppose. Funny feeling, after all these years." The man replied.

"Who's it from?" Sally asked.

"Well, that's a long story actually." The man replied, laughing nervously.

"Give us a name." I demanded.

"Katherine Wainright. But she specified I should tell you that prior to marriage she was called Kathy Nightingale."

"Kathy?" Sally demanded.

"Kathy, yes. Katherine Costello Nightingale."

"Is this a joke?" I demanded. "Unless..." I said, sprinting over to find Kathy gone. I rushed to the conservatory, where the angels had moved. Their hands were over their eyes. I heard Sally stressing to the man at the door, infuriated.

All I heard was, "My grandmother. Katherine Costello Nightingale."

I was right. They were Weeping Angels.

Kathy had been touched by the Weeping Angels, and sent back in time, to live her life but die before she could return to modern day.

I'd never seen them before, but I'd heard of them before, of course I had. They were friendly killers. Moved when you didn't look at them, killed you by sending you back in time.

Amazing.

"Oh, God." I muttered. "I'm not looking forward to this."

I would have to save the world, on my own, without the Doctor's help.

"Darn it." I muttered. I stayed exactly where I was, rooted to my spot with dread.

I heard the door shut, and Sally rustling with paper.

She read the letter out so I could hear as well.

"My dearest Sally Sparrow. If my grandson has done as he promises he will, then as you read these words it has been mere minutes since we last spoke. For you. For me, it has been over sixty years. The third of the photographs is of my children. The youngest is Sally. I named her after you, of course." She stopped reading. "This is sick. This is totally sick!" Sally exclaimed.

Sally pelted up the stairs, calling for her best friend. I couldn't move. I was busy staring at the angels.

"Eleanor, come on!" Sally shouted, and I sprinted out of the house.

"Wait! Hang on!" Sally called to the man leaving.

"Let's go to a cafe." I said, hugging her gently and leading her away from the house.

Sat at the cafe, Sally read the last of the letter to me.

" I suppose, unless I live to a really exceptional old age, I will be long gone as you read this. Don't feel sorry for me. I have led a good and full life. I've loved a good man and been well loved in return. You would have liked Ben. He was the very first person I met in 1920."

"El. Do you believe this?" Sally asked. I nodded.

I then told her everything, apart from the Weeping Angels.

She listened carefully, nodding now and then, not quite believing.

"Today's been a long day." She sighed. I nodded.

"Sorry. You don't have to believe it if you don't want to."

She smirked. "I don't think I have a choice." She sighed.

Sally visited Kathy's grave, and led flowers on. I, meanwhile, read the end of the letter.

"To take one breath in 2007 and the next in 1920 is a strange way to start a new life, but a new life is exactly what I've always wanted."

"1902? You told him you were eighteen, you lying cow." Sally said. I smiled.

"My mum and dad are gone by your time, so really there's only Lawrence to tell. He works at the DVD store on Queen Street. I don't know what you're going to say to him, but I know you'll think of something. Just tell him I love him."

"C'mon." Sally said, and we walked away from her best friend.

We walked into Banto's DVD store, where a bearded man was watching a Western movie on the TV above the counter.

"Excuse me, I'm looking for Lawrence Nightingale." Sally said.

"Through the back." The man replied. Sally nodded to me and we walked into the back room.

The Doctor, Martha were on the TV screen. I laughed to myself.

"Hello?" Sally called.

"Martha." On screen Doctor said.

"Sorry." Martha apologized. Martha left.

"Quite possibly. Afraid so." Onscreen Doctor said.

Larry Nightingale walked into the room.

"Oh hello. Can I help you?" He asked Sally. He smiled at me.

"Um.. Hi." Sally said.

"Thirty eight." On screen Doctor said.

"Er, just a mo." Larry said, pausing just as the Doctor was about to say something else.

"Hang on. We've met before, haven't we?" Larry asked. I nodded, grimacing.

"It'll come to you." Sally promised.

"Oh, my God." He said, crossing his hands in front of Mini Larry.

"There it is." I said.

"Sorry. Sorry again about the whole-"

"Message from your sister." Sally interrupted.

"Oh! Okay. What? What is it? What's the message?" He asked.

"She's had to go away for a bit." I said, Sally was having a hard time speaking.

"Where?" He asked.

"Oh, just a work thing. Nothing to worry about." I assured him.

"Okay."

"And." Sally said.

"And what?"  
"She loves you." Sally replied.

"She what?" Larry asked, smirking.

"She said to say. She just sort of mentioned it. She loves you. There, that's nice isn't it?" Sally asked.

"Is she ill?"

"No."

"Am I ill?"

"No." I laughed.

"Is this a trick?"

"No, she loves you." Sally said.

"Yeah. Yeah, people don't understand time. It's not what you think it is." On screen Doctor said.

Larry paused it again.

"Can I ask, why do you have videos of my fiancee and friend playing all the time?" I asked.

"That's your fiancee? Seriously? Oh, my God!" Larry exclaimed, as if talking to a celebrity.

"Last night, at Kathy's, you had him on all those screens. That same guy, her fiancee. Talking about, I don't know, blinking or something." Sally said.

"Yeah, the bit about blinking's great. I was just checking to make sure they were all the same." Larry said, passionately.

"What were the same? What is this? Who is he?" Sally asked.

"An Easter Egg." Larry replied.

"Excuse me?"

"He means a DVD extra." I explained. "A hidden DVD extra. You have to find them."

"Complicated." On Screen Doctor said. I smirked. He had his geek glasses on.

"Sorry. It's interesting, actually. He is on seventeen different DVDs. There are seventeen totally unrelated DVDs, all with him on. Always hidden away, always a secret. Not even the publishers know how he got there. I've talked to the manufacturers, right? They don't even know. He's like he's a ghost DVD extra. Just shows up where he's not supposed to be. But only on those. Those seventeen. I cannot BELIEVE you know him. What's his name?" Larry asked.

"The Doctor." I told him.

"What does he do?" Sally asked.

"Me or him?" I asked.

"Him." Sally replied.

"Just sits there, making random remarks. It's like we're hearing half a conversation. Me and the guys are always trying to work out the other half."  
"When you say you and the guys, you mean the internet, don't you?" Sally asked, and I guffawed.

"How'd you know?" Larry asked.

"Spooky, isn't it?" I asked, smirking at Sally.

"Very complicated." The Doctor said.

"Excuse me a sec." Larry said, and walked to the front of the shop.

"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause and effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective view point, it's more like a big ball of..." The Doctor said.

"Wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey stuff." I said, at the same time as he said,

"Wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey stuff."

Sally looked at me. "You really do know him, don't you?"

I flashed my left hand at her. "Now THAT must have cost a bomb!" She explained, gazing at the ring.

"Anyway. It started well that sentence. He always messes it up." I smirked, shaking my head.

"It got away from me, yeah."

"That's weird, it's like he can hear you." Sally said.

"Well I can hear you." The Doctor said.

Sally paused the DVD. Larry walked back in. "Okay, that's enough. I've had enough now. I've had a long day and I've had bloody enough! Sorry. Bad day." Sally said.

"Got the list." Larry said.

"What?" Sally asked, looking tired.

"The seventeen DVDs. I thought you might be interested." Larry said.

"Yeah, great. Thanks." Sally snapped. I looked at Larry and rolled my eyes.  



	17. Sparrow, Nightingale and Thorn

Sally Sparrow stormed away from Eleanor and Larry, leaving them awkwardly staring at each other.

"So... What's he like?" Larry asked, dreamily. Eleanor smiled faintly, nodded her head and ran after Sally. For some reason, the Doctor had entrusted El with her life.

She walked past Banto, the shopkeeper, who was shouting animatedly at the TV screen. "Go to the police, you stupid woman. Why does nobody ever just go to the police?"

El saw Sally stop and look at him. "Come on, Eleanor!" She called, and Eleanor rushed away with her.

At the police station, Eleanor stood, clicking her heels and her tongue as Sally fought with the Desk Sergeant. She was going to get nowhere if Sally insisted on trivialities.

"Look, I know how mad I'm sounding!" Sally exclaimed. Eleanor sighed, bored.

"Shall we try it from the beginning this time?" The Seargeant asked, as bored as El.

"Okay. There's this house. A big old house, been empty for years, falling apart. Wester Drumlins, out by the estate. You've probably seen it." Eleanor stressed, finally walking over, anxious to leave.

"Wester Drumlin?" The Seargeant asked.

"Yes." Eleanor replied.

"Could you just wait here for a minute?"

The sergeant left, and Sally turned to Eleanor, exasperated. Sally suddenly blinked, and then her eyes widened.

"Okay, cracking up now." She said. El turned around, but didn't see anything. She ignored the girl.

Eleanor jumped as she heard a voice behind her. "Hi. DI Billy Shipton. Wester Drumlins, that's mine. Can't talk to you now, got a thing I can't be late for, so if you could just... Hello." Billy said, looking at Sally.

"Hello." Sally smiled. Eleanor waved.

"Eh, Marice, can you tell them I'm going to be late for that thing?" Billy asked. When he waved back at Eleanor, she smirked as his eyes bugged a little. Two attractive girls, stood side by side. How unusual.

In the car park, Eleanor had her hands in her pockets, thinking of what an incredible waste of time this was. She didn't realise how slow it took humans to figure things out. She couldn't interrupt either, she wanted Sally to work it out. Sally Sparrow was a superhero's name, and so she should have her superhero moment.

"All of them?" Sally asked, bringing Eleanor back to reality.

"Over the last two years, yeah. They all still have personal items in them and a couple still had the motor running." Billy replied.

"So over the last two years, the owners of all these vehicles have driven up to Wester Drumlins House, parked outside and just disappeared." Sally stated, unbelieving.

"Not disappeared. Transported." Eleanor muttered.

"What was that?" Sally asked, turning to her. Eleanor shook her head.

"Nothing." She muttered.

Eleanor yelped as she noticed the TARDIS. She rushed up to the doors, and patted the key on her necklace around her neck.

"What's that?" Sally asked.

"Ah! The pride of the Wester Drumlins collection. We found that there, too. Somebody's idea of a joke, I suppose." Billy replied. Eleanor shook her head, grimacing.

"Wait a minute. If the TARDIS is there, and they're not... That means they've been sent back too." Eleanor gasped. The two humans ignored her, however, and continued chatting. El rolled her eyes. She decided not to unlock the TARDIS, there was no point, and she didn't want to be accused of stealing people, what with her conveniently knowing what the TARDIS was, after it being parked on the crime scene.

"But what is it? What's a police box?" Sally asked.

"A disguise." Eleanor told her, and this time she listened. "You see, the Doctor didn't walk around when he travelled, he went in this thing." She patted the box.

"You know what this is? It's a ship?" Sally asked, confused. Eleanor nodded, smirking. "I don't even wanna know." Sally sighed, Eleanor's smirk faded.

"Course she doesn't." Billy sneered. "This isn't a real police box. The phone's just a dummy, and the windows are the wrong size. We can't even get in. Ordinary Yale lock, but nothing fits. But that's not the big question. See, you're missing the big question." Billy said, and didn't see how Eleanor looked shifty as he patted the key again. Not only did she not want to be accused, she didn't want police men snooping around the TARDIS. It wasn't right. They'd take it away, and what would she do then?

"Okay, what's the big question?" Sally asked.

"Will you have a drink with me?" Billy asked. Eleanor smirked and turned away.

"Bit rude, isn't it? Asking me when El's stood right there?" Sally said.

"She's engaged." Billy pointed out. "Drink? You? Me? Now?"

"Aren't you on duty, Detective Inspector Shipton?"

"Nope. Knocked off before I left. Told them I had a family crisis." Billy grinned.

"Why?"

"Because life is short and you are hot." Billy grinned. Eleanor smirked. She liked that line, she'd probably use it on the Doctor some time.

"No." Sally said.

"Ever?" Billy asked, looking down.

"Maybe." Sally retorted.

"Phone number?"

"Moving kind of fast, DI Shipton." Sally said, flirtily.

"Billy. I'm off duty."

Eleanor decided to have a wander. Well, she didn't walk far. She walked to the back of the TARDIS, the whole thing was making her uncomfortable, truth be told.

All she heard was Sally's voice raising as she said, "Sally Shipton. Sparrow! Sally Sparrow. We're going now. Don't look at me."

Eleanor guffawed and came out of her hiding spot. She waved to Billy, who was grinning at Sally's mistake.

"Phone you tomorrow. See you around, Eleanor Thorn." Billy called.

"Don't look at me!" Sally yelled.

"Bye!" El called, grinning and laughing.

"Might even phone you tonight." He shouted.

"Don't look at me!"

"Definitely going to phone you, gorgeous girl!"

"You definitely better!" Sally shouted, and Billy smiled as he heard Eleanor's laugh. God, that girl had a loud laugh. Kinda contagious too. He chuckled to himself and he turned around, and after seeing four angels standing around the TARDIS, he blinked.

Blink.

"Ordinary Yale lock." Sally said. "If you know what this is, do you not have the key?" Sally asked.

"Yep." Eleanor replied.

"Why didn't you use it?"

"Didn't want the police snooping around my home." Eleanor retorted indignantly.

"That's your home?"

"Oh yes." Eleanor grinned, Sally shook her head, amazed.

"I've known you for what, less than a day? And you're the most mysterious girl I've met. And I trust you. I didn't even wonder why you asked to come with me." Sally pondered. Eleanor smiled.

Billy Shipton slid down a wall.

"Welcome." The Doctor said.

"Where am I?"

"1969. Not bad, as it goes. You've got the moon landing to look forward to."

"Oh, the moon landing's brilliant. We went four times, back when we had transport." Martha grinned.

"Working on it." The Doctor said. "Did you happen to meet Eleanor Thorn?"

"Yeah. How do you know her?" Billy asked, looking confused.

"Long story, mate." The Doctor said. "But is she alright? The angels didn't get her?"

"Just said goodbye to her.. About.. ooh, three minutes ago?"

"Good." The Doctor said, not noticing Martha's grimace and sad face as the relief he obviously felt.

"How did I get here?" Billy asked.

"The same way we did. The touch of an angel. Same on, probably, since you ended up in the same year. No, no. No, no, no, don't get up. Time travel without a capsule. Nasty. Catch your breath. Don't go swimming for half an hour." The Doctor said, grabbing Billy's arm and pulling him back down again. "I'm trusting Eleanor to get us out of this." He sighed.

"I can't swim anyway." Billy shrugged.

"Fascinating race, the Weeping Angels. God, I hope El knows what they are. The only psychopaths in the universe to kill you nicely. No mess, no fuss, they just zap you back into the past and let you live to death. The rest of your life used up and blown away in the blink of an eye. You die in the past, and in the present they consume the energy of all the days you might have had. All the stolen moments. They're creatures of the abstract. They live off potential energy." The Doctor explained.

"What is God's name are you talking about?" Billy demanded, wincing a little.

"Trust me. Just nod when he stops for breath." Martha advised, nodding and winking at Billy.

"Tracked you down with this. This is my timey-wimey detector. It goes ding when there's stuff. Also, it can boil an egg at thirty paces, whether you want it to or not, actually, so I've learned to stay away from hens. It's not pretty when they blow." The Doctor grimaced.

"I don't understand. Where am I?" Billy asked again, properly scared.

"1969. Like he said." Martha told him.

"Normally, I'd offer you a life home, but somebody nicked my motor. So I need you to take a message to Eleanor Thorn and Sally Sparrow. And I'm sorry, Billy, I am very, very sorry. It's going to take you a while." The Doctor said, suddenly serious and staring intensely at Billy.

Sally's mobile phone rang, and she answered quickly.

"Hello? Billy, where are you? Where?" Sally asked, Eleanor snapped around and ran off to the TARDIS again. Sally followed.

Billy wasn't there. El closed her eyes, and tried not to cry.

"They've took him." She whispered.

"El. We're going to the hospital, come on." Sally said, tugging on Eleanor's sleeve for her to follow.

They slowly walked into the hospital ward, hair dripping, shoes squeaking on the floor as they entered.

Only one bed was occupied, by the window.

"Billy?" Sally asked. The old man woke up.

"It was raining when we met." Billy said, motioning to the window, showing the rain belting down.

"It's the same rain." Eleanor said, quietly.

Eleanor and Sally sat on the edge of his bed, looking at photographs of Billy's wedding.

"She looks nice." Sally smiled.

"Her name was Sally too." Billy smiled, fondly.

"Sally Shipton." Sally laughed.

"Sally Shipton. I often thought about looking for you before tonight, but apparently.." Billy said.

"It would've torn a hole in the fabric of space and time and destroyed two thirds of the universe." Eleanor said, as quick as the Doctor.

Billy smiled, and nodded. "You can tell you're engaged." He coughed heavily. Sally moved, anxious. Billy waved her away.

"Also, I'd lost my hair." Billy told her.

"How did you know what Eleanor was going on about?" Sally demanded.

"There's a man in 1969. He sent me a message for Eleanor and you." Billy told them both.

"What for?" Sally asked.

"The Doctor." Eleanor breathed, smiling.

"That's him." Billy said, clicking his fingers at Eleanor.

"What's the message?" Eleanor demanded.

"Look at the list." Billy said to Sally, and then he turned to Eleanor. "And he loves you. And he hopes you'll rescue him soon before Martha's incessant whining kills him." Eleanor giggled, Billy had obviously memorised that. Billy smiled at her laugh.

"I thought, when we first met, and how contagious and loud your laugh is." He told her, causing her to laugh more. Billy smiled, with crinkles in his eyes.

"Excuse me.. But what does that mean? Is that it? Look at the list?" Sally demanded.

"He said you'd have it by now. A list of seventeen DVDs. I didn't stay a policeman back then. Got into publishing. Then video publishing. Then DVDs of course." Billy explained.

"Oh, Billy. You clever man!" Eleanor exclaimed.

"You put the Easter Egg on." Sally said.

"Have you noticed what all seventeen DVDs have in common yet? I suppose it's hard for you, in a way." Billy said.

"How could the Doctor know we had a list? I only just got this." Sally said.

Eleanor kept her mouth shut. She'd promised herself only to help when needed.

"He told me I'd never understand it." Billy said sadly.

"Soon as I understand it, I'll come and tell you." Sally promised.

"No, gorgeous girl, you can't. There's only tonight. He told me all those years ago that we'll meet only this one time. On the night I die."

"Oh, I'm sorry Billy. I'm sorry the angels got you." Eleanor whispered.

"Angels, what angels?" Sally asked.

"I'll explain later." Eleanor promised.

"It's kept me going. I'm an old, sick man. But I've had something to look forward to. Ah, life is long, and you are hot. Oh, look at my hands. They're old mans hands. How did this happen?" Billy asked, looking down at his hands sadly as he held Sally's.

"We'll stay. We're going to stay with you, okay?" Sally asked.

"Thank you, Sally Sparrow, Eleanor Thorn. I have till the rain stops." Billy said.

The rain soon stopped. The bed was empty. A teary Sally and a hard faced Eleanor left the hospital.

"Explain." Sally demanded, all happiness drained from her face.

"The Weeping Angels are a race of aliens. They're quite odd, really. They move when you don't' look at them. If you turn your back for one moment, they will have moved, intent on killing you. If you look at them, they become suspended. They kill you by sending you back in time, and you live your life until you die." Eleanor explained. "The Doctor will explain it better than me. I have a feeling that's what he does on the Easter Eggs, come on." Eleanor said, dragging Sally to Banto's.

"They're mine. The DVDs on the list. The seventeen DVDs. What they've got in common is me. They're all the DVDs I own. The Easter Egg was intended for me." Sally told Larry and Eleanor.

"You've only got seventeen DVDs?" Larry asked, astounded. Eleanor nodded along with him, shocked.

"Do you have a portable DVD player?" Sally asked.

"Of course. Why?" Larry asked.

"We have to go." Sally said.

"Where?" Larry asked.

"Wester Drumlins."

When they reached the house, they walked into the drawing room.

He put a DVD in the portable player.

"Okay, this is the one with the clearest sound. Slightly better picture quality on this one, but I don't know." Larry said.

"It doesn't matter." Sally assured him.

"Okay. There he is."

"The Doctor." Eleanor said.

"Yup. That's me." The Doctor said, on screen,

"Okay, that was scary." Sally said.

"No, he sounds like he's replying, but he always says that." Larry said.

"Yes, I do." The Doctor said.

"And that." Larry said.

"Yup. And this."

"He can hear us. Oh, my God. You can really hear us?" Sally asked.

"Of course he can't hear us. Look I've got a transcript. See? Everything he says. Yup that's me. Yes I do. Yup, and this. Next it's.." Larry read.

"Are you going to read out the whole thing?"

"Sorry." Larry said. Eleanor was enjoying it, immensely.

"Knew you'd like this, El."The Doctor said, fondly, Eleanor giggled.

"Who are you?" Sally asked.

"I'm a time traveller. Or I was. Stuck in 1969." The Doctor said.

"Told you." Eleanor nodded.

"We're stuck. All of space and time, he promised me. Now I've got a job in a shop. I've got to support him! Eleanor, will you bloody hurry up?" Martha begged. Eleanor nodded, and smirked.

"Martha." The Doctor warned.

"Sorry." Martha said.

"I've seen this bit before." Sally said.

"Quite possibly." The Doctor said.

"But you're replying to me. You can't know exactly what I'm going to say, forty years before I say it." Sally exclaimed.

"38." Both the Doctor and Eleanor amended together. Larry's eyed widened a bit at that.

"I'm getting this down. I'm writing down your bits." Larry said, avidly scribbling down what the girls said.

"How? How is this possible? Tell me?" Sally demanded.

"People don't understand time. It's not what you think it is." The Doctor said, and Eleanor rolled her eyes. Here it comes.

"Then what is it?" Sally asked.

"Complicated" The Doctor said, and Eleanor nodded in agreement.

"Tell me."

"Very complicated."

"I'm clever and I'm listening. Besides, Eleanor can translate. And don't keep patronising me because people have died, and I'm not happy. Tell me." Sally demanded.

"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint, it's more like a big ball of wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey stuff." And Eleanor repeated it with him. The amount of times he'd said that line.

"Yeah, I've seen this bit before. You said that sentence got away from you." Sally said.

"It got away from me, yeah."

"Next thing you're going to say is, well I can hear you." Sally accused.

"Well, I can hear you." The Doctor said.

"This isn't possible." Sally said.

"Of course it's possible." Eleanor replied. "Don't say anything is impossible, never ever."

"Don't say never ever." The Doctor said, smirking. Eleanor rolled her eyes. "Sally, did she just roll her eyes at me?"

"She did, yeah." Sally replied. The Doctor frowned.

"But anyway, I can't hear you exactly, but I know everything you're going to say." The Doctor told them.

"Always gives me the shivers, that bit." Larry said.

"How can you know what I'm going to say?" Sally asked.

"Look to your left."

"What does he mean, look to your left? I've written tons about that on forums. I think it's a political statement." Larry said. El rolled her eyes again.

"He means you." Eleanor told him.

"What are you doing?" Sally asked.

"He's writing in our bits. He's got a complete transcript of the conversation. The Doctor will use that." Eleanor explained.

"Atta girl!" The Doctor explained.

"How can he have the transcript? It's still being written." Sally told Eleanor.

"I told you. I'm a time traveller, so's she. I got it in the future." The Doctor said.

"Okay, let me get my head around this. You're reading aloud from a transcript of a conversation you're still having." Sally said.

"Wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey." Eleanor said, grimacing. The onscreen Doctor nodded.

"Never mind that. You can do shorthand?" Sally asked Larry, smirking.

"So?" Larry asked.

"What matters is, we can communicate. We have got big problems now. They have taken the TARDIS, haven't they? The blue box. The angels have the phone box." The Doctor said.

"The angels have the phone box. That's my favourite, I've got it on a t-shirt." Larry said. Eleanor giggled, looking up at Larry.

"What do you mean angels? Is that what Eleanor explained? With the whole, they move when you're not looking?" Sally asked. Eleanor nodded.

"Explain it better, dear." Eleanor told the Doctor.

"The lonely assassins, they used to be called. No one quite knows where they came from, but they're as old as the universe, or very nearly, and they have survived because they have the most perfect defense system ever evolved. They are quantum-locked. They don't exist when they're being observed. The moment they are seen by any other living creature, they freeze into rock. No choice. It's a fact of their biology. In the sight of any living thing, they literally turn to stone. And you can't kill a stone. Of course, a stone can't kill you either. But then you turn your head away, you blink, and oh yes it can."

"In other words, don't take your eyes of that." Eleanor warned, pointing to a Weeping Angel close by.

"That's why they cover their eyes, they're not weeping. They can't risk looking at each other. Their greatest asset is their greatest curse. They can never be seen. The loneliest creature in the universe. And I'm sorry. I am very very sorry, El, Sally, Larry. It's up to you now." The Doctor told them.

"What are we supposed to do?" Eleanor asked seriously, the only one not staring at an angel.

"El, the TARDIS. The blue box for you two, which is a time machine, by the way. There is a world of time energy in there they could feast on forever, but the damage they could do could switch off the sun. You have to bring it back to me." The Doctor said.

"Got it." El said, nodding confidently.

"How? How?" Sally asked.

"And that's it, I'm afraid. There's no more from you on the transcript, that's the last I've got, I don't know what stopped you talking, but I can guess. They're coming. The angels are coming for you. But listen, your lives could depend on this. Don't blink. Don't even blink. Blink and you're dead. They are fast. Eleanor, you know this. Faster than you can believe. Don't turn your back, don't look away, and don't blink! Good luck." The Doctor said, and the picture froze.

"No! Don't! You can't!" Sally exclaimed.

"I'll rewind him." Larry said.

"What good would that do? You're not looking at the statue." Sally accused.

"Neither are you." Larry said, looking at both El and Sally. They all flipped around, and the angel towered over them, it's face twisted demonically, reaching out to them. They all backed away.

"I think I know where he's going with this." El muttered. "But I can't be sure."

"What's the plan?" Sally asked.

"Get to the TARDIS. And quickly. That's all I've got." She said, staring at the angel with wide eyes.

"There's just one, right? There's just this one. We're okay if we keep staring at this one statue. Everything's going to be fine." Larry said.

"There are three more." Eleanor said, emotionless.

"Three?" Larry exclaimed, terrified.

"They were upstairs before, but I think I heard them moving." Sally said.

"Moving where? Three of them? Moving where?" Larry demanded.

"I'm going to look around. El, come with me. I'm going to check. You keep looking at this one." Sally told Larry,.

"Don't blink. Remember what the Doctor said. Don't even blink. Wink if you have to, just make sure you've always got at least one on them." Eleanor added, pointing at him warningly as they backed off slowly.

"Who blinks? I'm too scared to blink." Larry said, mouth open as he focused.

"We're going to the door, the front door." Sally said, as they backed away further, leaving Larry alone.

"Don't leave me!" Larry exclaimed.

"We'll just be around the corner, you stay here." Eleanor said.

"They've locked the front door!" Sally shouted. Eleanor grunted.

"Why?" Larry asked.

"Because I have something they want." Eleanor muttered.

"What?" Larry asked, his voice shaking.

"This." She said, and pulled the key off the necklace. "The TARDIS key."

"Give them the key, give them what they want! Eleanor, no! What if they come behind me?" Larry asked.

"Hang on!" Sally exclaimed.

Larry looked quickly behind him and back again, and the angel had moved right in his face.

"Larry? They've blocked off the back door, but there's a cellar. There might be a way out. A delivery hatch or something." Sally shouted. Eleanor went down first, and shouted in shock when she saw what was there.

"Sally!" She called, and Sally rushed down. The angels had surrounded Eleanor in the darkness, before she had turned the light on.

"Oh, God." Sally gasped. Eleanor threw the key to Sally.

"Sally, this is really, really important. Get to the TARDIS, it's in the shed next to the house. Unlock it. Go to the console in the middle, pull the red lever and twist the amber globe thing. The TARDIS will do the rest. You got that? It's important that you remember!" Eleanor stressed, not peeling her eyes away from them.

"Pull red lever, twist amber globe. Got it. Anything else?" Sally asked.

"No, that's it. But Sally, trust me. Don't worry." Eleanor said. "I'll find you." She promised the girl.

"Quickly run out now!" Sally cried, a tear snaking down her face.

"I can't. They'll get me anyway. Just promise you'll do exactly me what you have to do, again." Eleanor said, wanting to make sure she remembered.

"Pull red lever, twist amber globe." Sally repeated, sniffing and wiping the tear away.

"Right. Now go, quickly!" Eleanor shouted, shaking a little. She prayed to God she would land in 1969.

"Bye." Sally whispered, before sprinting away to find Larry.

Eleanor sniffed, before closing her eyes.

"Larry! Larry, we're going!" Sally called, trying to control her emotions.

"Good!" Larry shouted. He'd left the angel in the drawing room.

They stood, in the conservatory, luckily with no angels around. Sally picked up a piece of rock that had crumbled from the walls and launched it at the window. It smashed with a terrible noise and they both climbed through, and sprinted away from the house.

"Where's Eleanor?" Larry asked, as they sprinted to the shed next to the house, where Eleanor had told them the TARDIS would be.

"Gone." Sally said, her voice breaking.

"Oh, God." Larry muttered, as they rushed into the shed. As he turned around, he saw a number of angels chasing after them.

The TARDIS was there, with three guardian angels.

"Okay, boys. I know how this works. You can't move as long as I can see you. Whole world in the box, the Doctor and Eleanor said. Hope they're not lying, because I don't see how else we're getting out." Sally said.

Larry ran past her, further into the shed. The Angel from upstairs was behind them.

"Oh, and there's your one." Sally said.

"Why's it pointing at the light?" Larry asked. The angel was pointing at the light bulb hanging from the ceiling in the shed. The light bulb flickered, as they walked to the TARDIS, back to back.

"Oh, my God, it's turning out the lights." Sally said, terrified.

"Quickly!" Larry exclaimed.

"I can't find the lock!" Sally shouted.

"Sally, hurry up! Get it open! They're getting closer. Sally, come on!" Larry rushed, his face grimacing.

"It won't turn!"

"Sally!" Larry shouted, but she burst through the doors and shut them behind him.

Sally gasped as she noticed the interior. Larry whimpered.

Sally shook her head, knowing she had a job to do.

"What're you doing?" Larry demanded. She located the red lever, and pulled it down. She then twisted the amber globe thing.

An image appeared on the upper deck.

"This is security protocol seven one two. This time capsule has detected the presence of an authorised control disc, issued by a flight attendant." The hologram of the Doctor said.

The TARDIS started rocking, and Sally looked terrified. "They're trying to get in!" Larry shouted.

"Eleanor said the TARDIS would do the rest!" Sally shouted back,

"Repeat the password key." The hologram said.

"Pft. Hard password." Sally humphed, and pulled the red lever again and twisted the amber globe.

"Prepare for departure." The hologram said.

The TARDIS began rocking harder, and the time rotor started up.

"What's happening?" Larry demanded. The TARDIS began dematerialising.

"Oh, my God. It's leaving us behind. Eleanor, no! You can't!" Sally screamed, turning around and looking for something desperately, as the image of the ship began to fade, leaving them behind.

They saw the angels, surrounding the TARDIS, arms outstretched wide, their hands not covering their eyes.

"Eleanor! Doctor!" Sally panicked. The TARDIS disappeared. Sally grabbed Larry's hand.

"Look at them! Quick! Look at them!" Sally instructed, wildly looking at the group of angels for a few seconds.

"I don't think we need to. She tricked them. Eleanor tricked them. They're looking at each other. They're never going to move again." Larry sighed.

A MONTH LATER.

Sally Sparrow and Larry Nightingale sat, outside Wester Drumlins, simply watching the house.

Sally was sketching, whereas Larry was watching Sally when he thought she wasn't looking.

"I can see you looking at me, you know." Sally smirked. Larry laughed uncomfortably, and blushed, turning back to the house.

"Larry Nightingale, you little flirt, you." A familiar voice said, and they both jumped when they felt hands on their shoulders and someone sitting inbetween them.

"When are you two getting it on then?" Eleanor said, grinning cheekily at them both. Larry blushed and Sally grinned at El.

"Eleanor! I thought you'd died, I thought I'd never see you again!" Sally exclaimed, throwing her arms around the girl.

"Yeah, sorry it took so long. The Doctor wanted to fix the TARDIS up, and when he does that, it takes forever!" She exclaimed, dragging the word out and tipping her head up to the sky. "What did you think of the TARDIS, by the way?" Eleanor asked.

"Wonderful." Sally breathed.

"Scary." Larry said. Eleanor laughed. He reminded her of Rory.

"Well. I just wanted to say thanks, without you two I wouldn't have saved the Doctor and Martha, and actually, we'd still be stuck. So, thank you." Eleanor said, and hugged them both.

"Ha! Your scheme was brilliant by the way." Sally told her, eyes shining.

"You think?" Eleanor grinned.

"Yep. You want to see them?" Larry asked, standing up, pulling Sally up and then pulling Eleanor up too. The trio trudged to the shed.

Sally flipped the light switch on.

The group of angels were still staring at each other, arms outstretched, faces vicious.

"Wow." Eleanor said. "Scary."

"Tell me about it." Larry nodded.

"What's that?" Eleanor laughed, pointing to graffiti on the wall.

It read- 'Eleanor Thorn, Sally Sparrow and Lawrence Nightingale- The Angels lost the blue box.'

"Just something we wrote." Larry laughed, stroking it.

"It's great." Eleanor said, sneakily slipping a piece of paper each into their back pockets. They didn't notice.

"Well. I have to be going. Planets to save, aliens to prevent." Eleanor shrugged, and turned and walked away.

"Bye, Eleanor Thorn!" Sally called, waving sadly.

"Bye, Sally Sparrow! Larry Nightingale! We made quite the team!"

ONE YEAR LATER

"Can you mind the shop? I'm just nipping next door for some milk." Larry said.

"Yeah. No worries." Sally replied.

"What's that?" Larry asked, pointing to a folder she was looking through.

"Nothing." Sally insisted.

The folder contained the conversation transcript, Kathy's photo and letter, a photo of an Angel covering its eyes, and a photo of the graffiti they left on the shed.

"Sally, can't you let it go?" Larry asked.

"Of course I can't let it go." Sally sighed.

"This is over." Larry reminded her.

"How did the Doctor know where to write the words on the wall? How could he get a copy of the transcript? Where did he get all that information from?" Sally demanded.

"Look, some things we'll never find out. Like how those bloody invitations got in our back pockets. And that's okay." Larry assured her.

"No, it isn't." Sally insisted.

"Ever think this might be getting in the way of things?" Larry asked quietly.

"We just run a shop together. That's all it is. Just a shop." Sally reminded him. Larry looked at the floor.

"Anyway, milk. Back in a mo." He said, and left.

A taxi pulled up outside. Martha, the Doctor and Eleanor got out and walked down the street. Sally pelted out the shop and ran after them.

"Eleanor! Doctor! El!" She cried.

"Hello. Sorry. Bit of a rush." Eleanor said. Sally sighed. She didn't know who she was.

"Yeah, there's sort of a thing happening. Fairly important we stop it." The Doctor said.

"My, God. It's you. It really is you. Oh, you don't remember me, do you?" Sally breathed.

Martha and Eleanor were both carrying bundles of arrows, the Doctor a long bow.

"Doctor, we haven't got time for this. The migration's started." Eleanor reminded him, anxious to get off.

"Look, sorry. I've got a bit of a complex life. Things don't always happen to me in quite the right order, right El?" He smirked, she chuckled nervously. "Gets a bit confusing at times, especially at weddings. I'm rubbish at weddings." The Doctor said.

Sally quickly looked at Eleanor's left hand. No rings. She smiled. She knew she would see them again.

"Oh, my God. Of course, you're a time traveller. It hasn't happened to you yet, none of it. It's still in your future." Sally gasped, smiling.

"What hasn't happened?" Eleanor asked.

"Eleanor, Doctor, please. Twenty minutes to red hatching." Martha sighed.

"It was me. Oh, for God's sake, it was me all along. You got it all from me." Sally said.

"Got what?" The Doctor asked.

"Okay, listen. One day you're going to get stuck in 1969. Make sure you've got this with you. And don't let her see it!" Sally said, pointing to Eleanor who was fidgeting. "You're going to need it, and she's not allowed to see it. It'll blow a hole in the universe." She smiled.

She handed him the file.

"Doctor!" Eleanor shouted, Sally smiled. She was just as she remembered.

"Yeah, listen, listen. Got to dash. Things happening. Well, four things. Well, four things and a lizard." The Doctor rambled.

"Okay. No worries. On you go. See you around some day." Sally smiled.

"What was your name?" The Doctor asked.

"Sally Sparrow."

"Good to meet you, Sally Sparrow." The Doctor smiled.

Larry returned with the milk, and Sally took his hand.

"Goodbye, Doctor. Eleanor." Sally smiled.

They watched them sprint off, but it wasn't the end. They would see them again soon. And it wouldn't be on Earth.

Sally and Larry walked into the DVD shop, now called Sparrow and Nightingale.

Sally pulled out her purse, and pulled out the fancy bit of paper that they had both found in their back pockets.

'You are cordially invited to the wedding of the Doctor and Eleanor Smith.

When: Who knows

Where: Somewhere distant

Message: We'll pick you up. Prepare to be dazzled. X'

Sally smiled, and pocketed the invitation. She couldn't wait.

I know there isn't much Doctor/Eleanor in this one, but I really love this episode, and I wanted Eleanor to save the day, hence the slightly different ending. Also, she's giving out wedding invitations!

But who knows... Maybe the wedding won't be happening.. Mwa hahaa..

Please review/comment/whatever. It keeps me motivated.

-Fay x 


	18. Learning The Truth About Amaryllis

Amaryllis walked through the palace gates, and after bowing to Rassilon, she made her way to the High Priestess of Gallifrey. She was wearing a long white sheer gown, and her long wavy brunette hair fell all the way to the floor, with feathers and beads tied into it. She wore nothing on her feet but anklets.

"Amaryllis." A stern voice said. The girl turned, and fell to the floor, bowing before her God. Time Lord's didn't have a religion, but those born with the mark of the Warrior, as Amaryllis had, worshipped their High Priestess, also a warrior.

"Show me your mark, child." The woman said, her name Romana, and Amaryllis pulled her gown down a little, to show the mark on her chest. The High Priestess grinned, and welcomed Amaryllis with open arms.

"You have graduated. Well done, my child." The High Priestess said. "And you are the first Warrior, save me, who has graduated without death. You shall take my position, child."

Amaryllis shook her head violently. "Oh, but I can't." She gasped.

"Yes you can, I have faith in you child." Romana assured Amaryllis.

To complete the exchange of faith, they would each tell the other their real names. Time Lord names were sacred, on Gallifrey, only to be told when marrying your partner or if you exchange faith, just as Amaryllis and the High Priestess were doing now.

Romana whispered hers first. Amaryllis felt a heavy weight on her shoulders. The responsibilty of looking after the Warriors. They worshipped their High Priestess as a God. Amaryllis was a God.

Amaryllis welcomed it. She was enlightened.

She leaned up and whispered hers in Romana's ear.

"Aliya." She whispered. Romana gasped a flash of purple light flew out of her mouth and entered through Amarylli's mouth. The transformation was complete.

~ The Doctor's eyes flew open. He sat up straight, and noticed that there was a weight under his arm, stopping him from sitting up fully. He looked to his right, and saw the sleeping girl whom he had just dreamt off.

He smiled faintly, and brushed her hair out of her face. He knew that Eleanor had been a Warrior, but a High Priestess? They were fairytales, seen as the romantic and mystical women who knew everything and could look into the vortex without going mad. But that's all they were, day dreams and fairy tales.

Eleanor stirred, and curled herself into his body. He smiled, and led back down, and wrapped his other arm around her, pulling the girl closer to his chest. He kissed her hair, and closed his eyes, going back to sleep gently.

Eleanor sat up straight in bed, breathing heavily, eyes wild and terrified. She had had the exact same dream as the Doctor, only she was certain that it was the real truth behind her past. She was almost certain she had been trained under the most extreme circumstances to become the High Priestess, and she was certain that she was the only one, save Romana, who had done it without death.

And then her parents had come looking for her, hunting her down, taking her from deep in the palace to bring her home. Once Amaryllis became The High Priestess, she was kept at the palace, almost with her head in the clouds, daydreaming constantly, floating through worlds, soaring up in the clouds. The only time she snapped back to reality was when a Warrior came to her.

But her parents found her, and changed her. Oh, the pain. The pain of that machine, she never thought she would have to go through that again, but BAM she was running from the Family of Blood.

Eleanor was convinced that going back through the Chameleon Arch reminded her, and placed this thought in her dreams; this being the first time she'd slept since going through the change back to Time Lord.

She looked down at the Doctor, who was sleeping lightly. She smiled and left him to it, and went to take a shower and get dressed for the no doubt busy day they were bound to have.

The Doctor was stood by the console, staring into space.

"Doctor." A timid voice said. He turned around to come face to face with Eleanor. "I had a dream." She said.

"So did I." The Doctor replied.

"Gallifrey? Warriors? High Priestess?" Eleanor asked, he nodded after each one. "Same."

"Is it true?" He whispered.

"I'm sure of it." She replied, leaning against a pillar. He sighed.

"I thought High Priestesses were things of legend." He confided. But then he grinned. "I've snogged a High Priestess."

Eleanor laughed, a real infectious laugh. The Doctor chuckled along.

"Are you all right?" He asked, turning serious. She nodded.

"I think so. But why are all my memories coming through now? Shouldn't I already know this?" She asked.

"Maybe." The Doctor shrugged. "You've had a traumatic life. You trained under extreme conditions. You were lucky to live. It's just your bodies way of reminding you gently." He assured her. She nodded.

"Was my past self so terrible?" She asked.

"If she was, you're different now. And that's all that matters." The Doctor promised, winding his arms around her waist.

"But Amaryllis is coming back. The Warrior and High Priestess is coming back." She whispered. The Doctor sniffed and nodded, he knew. He knew that very soon, Eleanor would snap and Amaryllis would really come out to play.

He sighed. "We'll work through it. We always will." He promised. She looked solemn, but she suddenly broke out a smile that would shatter suns.

"But... High Priestess? How cool was I?" She asked.

The Doctor laughed, a real infectious laugh.

"You still are." He said, and kissed her forehead, her nose, her chin, the sensitive skin behind her ear, before finding her lips.

"Ahem." A voice said. Eleanor looked around and saw Martha stood, with a distraught look on her face.

"Ooh!" Eleanor giggled, stepping away from the Doctor. The Doctor blushed, which El found endearing.

The TARDIS suddenly made a wheezing noise, and the Doctor and Eleanor looked at her.

"She needs refuelling. Poor girl." Eleanor cooed, patting the ship gently.

"C'mon then." The Doctor said.

"Cardiff." Eleanor said, smiling gently but also managing to grimace at the same time.

"Cardiff?" Martha demanded.

"Ah, but the thing about Cardiff is that it's built on a rift in time and space-just like California and the San Andreas Fault. The rift bleeds energy. Every now and then I need to open up the engines, soak up the energy and use it as fuel." The Doctor defended.

"So it's a pit stop." Martha said.

"Exactly." Eleanor grinned,

"Wait a minute. They had an earthquake in Cardiff a couple years ago. Was that you?" Martha asked.

"Bit of trouble with the Slitheen." The Doctor grimaced.

"Ew. Nasty creatures, the Slitheen." Eleanor told Martha.

"Long time ago. Lifetimes. I was a different man back then." The Doctor said, grabbing Eleanor's hand and grinning down on her. Martha looked peeved.

"Right, whatever. We were talking about Cardiff?" Martha asked. Eleanor's smile faded and she dropped the Doctor's hand.

Little did the group know, but a certain Captain Jack Harkness was sprinting to the TARDIS, determined to see the Doctor and Eleanor.

"Finito." Eleanor said, feeling the TARDIS running smoother.

"All powered up." The Doctor added.

"Doctor! Eleanor!" The Jack shouted.

Jack appeared on the monitor, but Eleanor didn't see, she was too busy shedding herself of her jacket and moving back to the console. The Doctor saw, however, and looked panic. He quickly started the TARDIS, but Jack leaped, and gripped onto the side with all his might.

The TARDIS sparked, and as Eleanor and Martha were thrown to the floor, the Doctor rushed over to El to protect her. He didn't even look to see if Martha was alright. Martha gritted her teeth and tried not to show her anguish. She much preferred it when Eleanor popped in for one trip and went back. This was becoming too hard.

"What's that?" Martha shouted, clinging to the console after standing back up.

"We're accelerating into the future. The year one billion." Eleanor breathed, her eyes manic as she watched the TARDIS moving.

"Five billion. Five trillion. 50 trillion. What? The year 100 trillion." The Doctor said, counting as the TARDIS flew.

"That's impossible." Eleanor breathed, her eyes wide and scared.

"Why? What happens then?" Martha demanded, breathing heavily.

"We're going to the end of the universe." The Doctor cried.

Jack was clinging to the TARDIS the whole time, even as it drove through the vortex.

"Eleanor!" He yelled.

The TARDIS landed with a thud, and the Doctor looked at Eleanor, questioningly.

"Well, we've landed." The girl said.

"So what's out there?" Martha asked.

"I don't know." The Doctor muttered, looking to the doors warily.

"Say that again. That's rare." Martha smirked. Neither Eleanor nor the Doctor smiled back.

"Not even the Time Lords came this far. We should leave. We should go. We should really, really..." The Doctor trailed, as he and Eleanor looked at each other, smirking. "Go." He said. He grinned widely at El and they both launched themselves at the doors. Martha smirked and followed.

"Oh my God!" Martha exclaimed, as she saw Captain Jack passed out on the ground. She bent down and checked the mans pulse. "Can't get a pulse. Hold on- you've got that medical kit thing." She said, and ran into the TARDIS.

Eleanor and the Doctor sauntered over to Jack casually. "Hello again. Oh, I'm sorry." The Doctor said.

"Here we go. Out of the way." Martha said, coming back with her medical kit. She shoved the Time Lords out the way. "It's a bit odd though. Not very 100 trillion- that coat's more like World War Two." Martha said. Eleanor smiled at the memory.

"I think he came with us." She said gently.

"How'd you mean? Have you lost it?" Martha asked, patronisingly.

"He must've been clinging to the outside of the TARDIS all the way through the vortex." The Doctor confirmed, sending Martha a look that told her to stop it.

"That's very him." Eleanor smirked.

"What? Do you know him?" Martha demanded.

"Friend of ours. Used to travel with us. Back in the old days. Before we knew you." Eleanor said, wanting to get the upper hand on the girl, who was annoying Eleanor today.

"But he's- I'm sorry, there's no heartbeat. There's nothing. He's dead." Martha said, sadly. Eleanor shrugged, and walked away. Martha gaped after the girl.

"Heartle-" She began, but Jack gasped as he came back to life and grabbed Martha, who screamed.

Eleanor walked back. "Heartless? Nah. I have two. Like him." She said, pointing to the Doctor, who wasn't really listening. Martha glared.

Eleanor didn't know what the hell had gotten into Martha lately, but she didn't like it.

"Oh well, so much for me. It's all right. Just breathe deep. I've got you now." Martha told Jack.

"Captain Jack Harkness. And who are you?" Jack asked.

"Martha Jones."

"Nice to meet you, Martha Jones!" Jack exclaimed, grinning coyly.

"Oh, don't start!" The Doctor sighed.

"I was just saying hello." Jack said.

"He was just saying hello." Eleanor repeated, glad that Jack might distract Martha from the Time Lord's intense relationship.

"Eleanor!" He shouted, arms open, grinning like a maniac. "You lost the American accent." He said, disappointed.

"I'm still American, deep down." Eleanor said, as she pulled him to his feet. He then wrapped his arms around her tightly and picked her up, she giggled loudly as she swung him around.

"Cor that girl can laugh." The Doctor said, wincing. When Jack put the girl down, Jack looked at the Doctor coldly.

"Doctor."

Captain." The Doctor replied, just as coldly. Eleanor bit her lip.

"Good to see you." Jack said.

"And you. Same as ever. Although, have you had work done?" The Doctor asked.

"You two can talk!" Jack exclaimed, laughing gently.

"Oh, yes, the faces. Regenerated. How did you know it was us?"

"The police box kinda gives it away. I've been following the both of you for a long time. You abandoned me." Jack accused. He then looked at Eleanor, looking at her too. Accusing her.

"Did we? Busy life. Move on." The Doctor said.

"Just gotta ask. The Battle of Canary Wharf. I saw the list of the dead. It said Rose Tyler." Jack said.

"Oh no! Sorry! She's alive!" The Doctor exclaimed.

"You're kidding?" Jack asked.

"Parallel world. Safe and sound. And Mickey! And her mother!" The Doctor exclaimed. Eleanor squeaked.

"WHAT? WHERE ARE THEY?" Eleanor shouted. Jack winced at the loudness of her voice.

"Sorry. Spoilers. I've already said too much. Forget that." The Doctor told her, thinking himself stupid for forgetting.

"But oh yes!" Jack exclaimed, grinning and they both hugged, laughing. Eleanor smiled gently, worried about the Tyler's. She pushed it to the back of her mind. Not happened to her yet.

"Good old Rose." Martha said gently. Eleanor felt anger inside. She walked up to the girl as the two men talked loudly.

"Martha Jones, I don't know what's gotten into you with your snide remarks and biting comments towards me, but I can handle it. You don't know Rose Tyler, you don't know how wonderful she is. You don't know what I'd so to save that girl, so maybe you should keep to what you know." She spat, her eyes glowing purple.

Martha sneered and walked back slightly.

Jack and Eleanor talked animatedly amongst each other, while the Doctor and Martha walked slightly in front.

"So there I was, stranded in the year 200,100, ankle deep in Dalek Dust, and you two went off without me. But I had this." He explained, tapping the vortex manipulator on his wrist. "Martha, I used to be a Time Agent. It's called a Vortex Manipulator. They're not the only ones who can time travel." Jack smirked.

"Oh, excuse me. That is not time travel. It's like El and I have a sports car and you've got a space hopper." The Doctor said.

"Time travel is time travel is time travel is time travel." Eleanor said. Well, she understood.

"Boys and their toys." Martha smirked.

"Oh, and we've gone through that before, haven't we?" Eleanor smirked. "Who's was bigger, in the end?" She asked.

"His." Jack said. "Mine had batteries." He laughed, and beamed as El laughed. Wow, her laugh was contagious. Martha raised her eyebrows and sighed, she didn't like not knowing what was going on.

"But forget that, so I bounced. I thought 21st century, best place to find the love birds, except that I got it a little wrong. I arrived in 1869 and this burnt out so it was useless." Jack said.

"Told you." The Doctor smirked.

"I had to live through the entire 20th century waiting for a version of you two that would coincide with me." Jack whined.

"That makes you more than 100 years old." Martha exclaimed.

"And looking good, don't ya think? So I went off to the time rift, based myself on that thing, 'cause I knew you'd come back to refuel. Until finally I get a signal on this detecting you and there you were." Jack said.

"But the thing is, how come you left his behind, Doctor?" Martha asked.

"I was busy." The Doctor said.

"I didn't know." Eleanor said. It was true, she hadn't known.

"Is that what happens though? Seriously? Do you just get bored with us one day and disappear?" Martha asked.

"Not if you're blonde." Jack said, fingering El's blonde hair and grinning as she giggled.

"I'm guessing Rose was blonde too? Oh what a surprise." Martha said. Eleanor's giggle faded.

"You three! We're at the end of the universe. All right? We're at the edge of knowledge itself and you're busy... blogging! Come on!" The Doctor shouted.

They walked to the edge of a canyon that looked as if it once held a city.

"Is that a city?" Martha asked.

"A city or a hive. Or a nest. Or a conglomeration. Looks like it was grown. But look there. That s like pathways, roads Must have been some sort of life. Long ago." Eleanor said.

"What killed it?"

"Time. Just time. Everything s dying now. All the great civilizations have gone. This isn t just night. All the stars have burned up and faded away into nothing." The Doctor said.

"It must have an atmospheric shell. We should be frozen to death." Jack pointed out.

"Well, El, Martha and I, maybe. Not so sure about you, Jack." The Doctor said, looking knowingly at Jack, as did Eleanor.

"What about the people? Does no one survive." Martha asked.

"I suppose we have to hope. Life will find a way." The Doctor said.

"Well, he's not doin' too bad." Jack said, pointing to a man who was sprinting, looking scared.

"Is it me or does that look like a hunt? Come on!" The Doctor exclaimed.

As they ran, Jack laughed.

"Oh, I've missed this!"

They reached the running man and Jack caught him.

"I've got you." Jack assured him.

"We've gotta run! They're coming! They're coming!" The man exclaimed. Jack passed the man to the Doctor. He pulled out his revolver and aimed it at the Futurekind. Eleanor turned, her eyes flashing, her hair blowing as she made the switch in her brain, as she remembered who she was, what to do.

The High Priestess came out.

"Eleanor! Eleanor! Come back!" The Doctor cried, noticing the change in his soul mate. She looked distant, high almost, with her head in the clouds. She looked hazy, like she was in summer heat.

Jack was scared by Eleanor's change, and fired into the air.

"What the hell are they?" Martha asked.

"There's more of them. We've got to keep going." The man said.

The Doctor picked the hazy Eleanor up, as she drifted. Jack and Martha looked concerned.

"I've got a ship nearby, it's safe. It's not far. It's just over there." The Doctor said, and he looked back to the TARDIS, which had the snarling, tattooed and piercing Futurekind surrounding it. "Or maybe not." He said.

"We're close to the silo. If we get to the silo, then we're safe." The man said.

"Silo?" The Doctor asked Jack and Martha.

"Silo." Jack said, watching Eleanor as she lolled back.

"Silo for me." Martha said.

They ran, and despite the Doctor carrying Eleanor, she wasn't heavy and he could still run faster than them all.

"It's the Futurekind! Open the gate!" The man exclaimed.

"Show me your teeth! Show me your teeth! Show me your teeth!" The guard said to the group.

"Do it." The man told them.

The humans and the Doctor gritted their teeth.

"She's passed out." The Doctor told the guard, as Eleanor flopped her head onto his chest.

"Human! Let them in, let them in!" The guard shouted, and the gate opened and they ran inside.

"Close! Close! Close!" The guard shouted, and the guard fired his gun at the Futurekind.

"Humans. Humani. Make feast." The Chief Futurekind snarled.

"Go back to where you came from. I said go back! Go back!" The guard shouted, aiming his gun.

"Oh, don't tell him to put his gun down." Jack said, remembering all the times the Doctor had done it to him.

"He's not my responsibility." The Doctor said.

"And I am?" He scoffed. "That makes a change." Jack said, holding the Time Lady's hand.

"Kind watch you. Kind hungry." The chief said, and he signalled to the others and they backed away.

The Doctor looked at El.

"C'mon El. I know you're in there somewhere. High Priestess." The Doctor said. Amaryllis looked up at him, with purple eyes, her true form showing. Jack gasped.

"I thought that was a legend!" He exclaimed.

"No. She's real. As real as me." The Doctor said, his voice and face hard.

"The High Priestess is like a God to Warriors on Gallifrey." Jack explained to Martha. "She looks after the Warriors, there's not a lot of them. They have their head in the clouds, talking to other Priests and Priestesses, until a Warrior addresses them."

"Wow." Martha gasped. Amaryllis lolled her head back, and Martha was impatient for El to come back. She slapped the girl hard, and Eleanor came to, gasping as she sat up.

"That was odd. I was Amaryllis again. Properly." Eleanor muttered. The Doctor nodded, setting her down and kissing her forehead.

"It seems when you have to protect your friends, she comes out to play." The Doctor muttered, and he held her hand. 


	19. Utopia

"Are you okay?" The Doctor asked, looking at Eleanor with concern. She nodded, smiling gently. She felt back to normal.

"My name is Padrafet Shafekane. Please tell me, can you take me to Utopia?" Padra asked the guard.

"Oh yes, sir. Yes I can." The guard replied. The guard let them into a large tunnel carved into a mountain. The Silo.

"Professor! We've got five new humans inside. One is calling himself a doctor, the other a priestess." Atillo said.

"Of medicine?" Yana asked.

"They both said of everything." Atillo replied.

"A scientist and priestess! Oh my word! Just- just- Chantho... oh, I don't know! I'm coming!" Yana exclaimed, and rushed out.

The Doctor, Martha, Eleanor, Jack and Padra were stood with Atillo.

"It's a box, a big blue box. I'm sorry, but I really need it back. It's stuck out there." The Doctor explained.

"I'm sorry, but my family were heading for the silo. Did they get here? My mother is Kistane Shafekane. My brother is Beltone." Padra begged.

"The computers are down but you can check the paperwork." Atillo said. "Creet!" She exclaimed. A young boy stuck his head around the corner. "Passenger needs help."

"Right. What d'you need?" Creet asked. Padra walked over to the young boy and looked at his clipboard.

"A blue box, you said." Atillo said.

"Big, tall, wooden. Says Police." Eleanor said.

"We're driving out for a last water collection. I'll see what I can do." Atillo promised. Eleanor smiled a thanks.

"Thank you." The Doctor said.

"Come on." Creet said to Padra.

"Sorry, but how old are you?" Martha asked the boy.

"Old enough to work. This way." Creet retorted, and he led the way through corridors lined and filled with people camping. Eleanor didn't know where to look.

"Kistake Shafekane. Kistane Shafekane. Kistane and Beltone Shafekane? Looking for a Kistane and Beltone Shafekane." Creet called out.

"The Shafekanes anyone?" Padra shouted.

"Anyone? Kistane and Beltone Shefkane? Anyone know the Shefkane family? Anyone called Shafekane?"

"It's like a refugee camp." Martha breathed.

"Stinking." Jack said, just as he passed a large man who stared at him. "Ooh sorry. No offence."

"Don't you see that? The ripe old smell of humans. You survived. Oh, much better than a million years evolving into clouds of gas. And then another million as downloads, but you always revert to the same basic shape. The fundamental humans." The Doctor said.

"Kistane Shafekane!" Creet shouted.

"End of the universe and here you are. Indomitable!" Eleanor exclaimed, smiling.

"That's the exact word I'd use." The Doctor agreed.

Suddenly, a woman stood, looking weary and tattered. "That's me." She said, and gasped when she saw her mum.

"Mother?"

"Oh my God." Kistane gasped.

"Beltone?" Padra asked, and he ran to embrace his family. Eleanor giggled, causing the Doctor and Jack to chuckle and Martha to smile.

"It's not all bad news." Martha said.

Jack walked down the corridor, and as he passed a good looking man he winked.

"Captain Jack Harkness. And who are you?" He asked, shaking his hand. El grabbed Jack's hand and pulled it away.

"Stop it." She said, dragging him by his hand. "Help us with this."

"Jack, it's half deadlocked. See if you can overwrite the code." The Doctor said. Jack set to work on the keypad while the Doctor used the sonic, with Eleanor typing avidly on the other keypad, sticking her tongue out in concentration.

"Let's find out where we are." The Doctor said. The door slid open and the Doctor almost fell in. Eleanor grabbed his hand and the back of his jacket and pulled him back.

"Got you." She grinned.

"Always." He replied, kissing her forehead quickly. Jack rolled his eyes but smiled at Martha, who was looking away.

"Now that is what I call a rocket." Jack gasped.

The rocket through the doors was huge, insanely massive.

"They're not refugees..." The Doctor said.

"They're passengers." Eleanor finished.

"Do they always finish each others sentences?" Jack asked. Martha ignored him.

"He said they were going to Utopia." Martha said.

"The perfect place. 100 trillion years. It's still the same old dream. Do you recognise those engines?" The Doctor asked. El shook her head.

"Nope. Whatever it is, it's not rocket science. But it's hot, though." Jack said.

"Boiling." El whistled.

"But if the universe is falling apart, what does Utopia mean?" The Doctor asked.

Yana ran up to the group and looked between El and the Doctor.

"The Doctor? Priestess?" She asked.

"That's us." Eleanor said, showing Yana her and the Doctor's linked hands.

"Good. Good. Good. Good. Good. Good. Good." Yana said, grabbing their hands and leading them away.

"It's good apparently." The Doctor mouthed to Eleanor, who snorted and giggled.

"Chan-welcome-tho." Chantho said, smiling. Yana dropped Eleanor's hand, and Chantho motioned for the girl to walk over. Meanwhile, Yana showed the Doctor around the lab. "This is the gravitational accelerator. It's part of the..."

"-Chan-welcome-tho." Chantho said to El.

"Hello. Who are you?" El asked.

"Chan-Chantho-tho." Chantho said, Eleanor smiled.

"But we can't get it to harmonize!" Yana exclaimed to the Doctor.

"El! Jack! C'mere." The Doctor called. Martha looked at the ground, feeling unwanted. Eleanor and Jack walked to the Doctor.

"And all this feeds into the rocket?" Eleanor asked.

"Yeah, except without a stable footprint we ll never achieve escape velocity. If only we could harmonize the five impact patterns and unify them, well, we might yet make it. What do you think, Doctor? Priestess? Any ideas?" Yana asked.

"Call me Eleanor." She said to the professor. He nodded.

"Well, um, basically... sort of... not a clue." The Doctor said.

"Nothing?" Professor Yana asked.

"I'm not from around these parts. I've never seen a system like it. Sorry." The Doctor said.

"No, no. I m sorry. It s my fault. There s been so little help." The old man said, dejectedly.

Martha, in the sitting area, pulled a bubbling jar with a hand in it from Jack's bag.

"Oh my God." Martha said, slamming the jar onto the table and walking over to the group. "You've got a hand. A hand in a jar. A hand in a jar in your bag."

"That's- That's my hand!" The Doctor exclaimed.

"I said I had a Doctor detector." Jack smirked.

"Chan- is this a tradition amongst your people- tho?" Chantho asked.

"Not on my street. What d'you mean that's your hand? You've got both your hands, I can see them." Martha exclaimed.

"Long story. He lost his hand on Christmas day. Sword fight." Eleanor muttered.

"What? And he grew another hand?" Martha demanded.

"Yeah. Yeah, he did." Eleanor shrugged.

"Hello." The Doctor said, wiggling his fingers as he waved.

"Might I ask what species you are?" Professor Yana asked.

"Me and Eleanor are Time Lords. Last of. Heard of them? Legend or anything? Not even a myth? Blimey, end of the universe is a bit humbling." The Doctor muttered.

"Chan- It is said that I am the last of my species too- tho." Chantho said.

"Sorry, what was your name?" The Doctor asked.

"My assistant and good friend, Chantho. A survivor of the Malmooth. This was their planet, Malcassairo, before we took refuge." Yana said.

"The city outside, that was yours?" Eleanor asked.

"Chan- the conglomeration died- tho."

"Conglomeration! That's what I said!" The Doctor exclaimed.

"You're supposed to say sorry." Eleanor hissed.

"Oh, yes. Sorry." The Doctor said.

"Chan- most grateful- tho."

"You grew another hand?" Martha demanded again. The Doctor waved again.

"Hello again. It's fine. Look. Really, it's me." The Doctor said, waving his fingers before shaking Martha's hand.

"All this time and you're still full of surprises, both of you. You grow hands, she's a priestess God thing." Martha said.

Eleanor clicked her tongue and winked.

"Chan- you are most unusual- tho." Chantho said.

"Well..." The Doctor trailed.

"So what about those things outside? The Beastie Boys. What are they?" Jack asked.

"We call them the Futurekind. Which is a myth in itself, but, uh, it is feared they are what we will become. Unless we reach Utopia." Professor Yana said.

"And Utopia is.." The Doctor traild.

"Oh, every human knows of Utopia. Where have you been?" Yana asked.

"Bit of a hermit." Eleanor said, scrunching her nose and pointing at the Doctor.

"Yet you love him?" Yana demanded, his eyes on their joined hands and engagement ring.

"Yep." Eleanor smiled.

"A hermit with friends?" Yana asked, this time looking at Martha and Jack.

"Hermits united." The Doctor said.

"They meet up every ten years. Swap stories about caves. It's a laugh. For a hermit. So, um, Utopia?" Eleanor asked, the Doctor snickering at her.

"The call came across the stars over and over again. Come to Utopia. Originated from that point." Yana said, pointing to the computer showing a chart and red dot.

"Where is that?" The Doctor asked.

"Oh, it s far beyond the Condensate Wilderness. Out towards the wildlands and the dark matter reefs. Calling us in. The last of the humans. Scattered across the night."  
"What do you think s out there?" The Doctor asked.  
"I don t know. A colony, a city, some sort of haven? The Science Foundation created the Utopia Project thousands of years ago to preserve mankind to find a way of surviving beyond the collapse of reality itself. Now perhaps they found it. Perhaps not. But it s worth a look, don t you think?" Yana said.

"Oh yes. And the signal keeps modulating, so it s not automatic. There s a good sign. Someone s out there. And that s ooh, that s a navigation matrix, isn t it? So you can fly without stars to guide you." The Doctor said.

"Professor? Professor?" Eleanor asked, noticing something wrong with Yana.  
!I Right, that s enough talk. There s work to do. Now if you could leave. Thank you." Yana said, returning to normal after hearing the drum beating.

"You all right?" The Doctor asked.  
"Yes. I m fine! And busy!" Yana exclaimed.  
"Except that rocket s not going to fly, is it? This footprint mechanism thing, it s not working." Eleanor noticed, and said it gently.  
"We ll find a way!" Yana insisted.  
"You re stuck on this planet. And you haven t told them, have you? That lot out there, hey still think they re gonna fly." The Doctor said, just as gently.  
"Well, it s better to let them live in hope." Yana pointed out. Eleanor sighed sadly.  
"Quite right, too. And I must say, Professor " The Doctor said, undoing his coat and giving it to El, who gave it to Jack. "Um, what was it?"  
"Yana."  
"Professor Yana. This new science is well beyond me, but all the same, a boost reversal circuit, in any time frame, must be a circuit which reverses the boost. So, I wonder, what would happen if I did this?" The Doctor asked, picking up the circuit and using the sonic on it before switching it on, giving them power. "Chan it s working tho!" Chantho exclaimed, delighted.  
"But how did you do that?" Yana asked, joyfully.  
"Oh, we ve been chatting away." The Doctor shrugged.

"I forgot to tell you, he's brilliant." Eleanor smiled.

"Can I ask, what are you a priestess of?" Yana asked.

"Back on our home planet, if you were given the mark of a Warrior, you had to train to fight. If you completed that training without dying, you became a High Priestess, a sort of God for the other Warriors. Only.. I was the last High Priestess.. Everyone died before anyone else could complete training." Eleanor trailed off, sadly.

"That rings a bell. I must of read of a religion like that." Yana shrugged. El nodeed.

In the lab, everyone was avidly working at controls.

Martha and Chantho left the lab, heading in the opposite direction from the queues of people rushing to go to Utopia, carrying circuit boards. Martha spotted the young boy, Creet.  
"Excuse me. Hey, what was your name? Creet." Martha asked.  
"That s right, miss." Creet said.  
"Who are you with, Creet? You got family?" Martha asked.  
"No, miss. There s just me." Creet replied.  
"Well, good luck. What do you think it s going to be like in Utopia?" Martha smiled, ruffling the boys hair.

"My mum used to say the skies are made of diamonds." Creet said, smiling at the prospect and gazing up dreamily.  
"Good for her. Go on, off you go. Get your seat." Martha grinned, nudging the boy on.

The Doctor, Elenaor and Yana were working quickly on a large clear circuit board in the centre of the lab. The Doctor and El on one side, Yana on the other.

"Is this..?" The Doctor asked, sniffing the cable wire he was holding. He held it out for El to smell too.  
"Yes, gluten extract. Binds the neutralino map together." Yana replied.

"But that s food. You ve built this system out of food and string and staples. Professor Yana, you re a genius." Eleaoor breathed, laughing gently.

"Says the couple who made it work." Yana said bitterly.  
"Ooh it s easy coming in at the end but you re stellar. This is this is magnificent. I don t often say that cause well, cause of me." The Doctor smiled.  
"Well, even my title is an affectation. There hasn t been such a thing as a university for over a thousand years. I ve spent my life going from one refugee ship to another." Yana told them.  
"If you had been born in a different time, you d be revered." Eleanor said. Yana chuckled. "I mean it. Throughout the galaxies." Eleanor promised.

"Oh, those damned galaxies. They had to go and collapse. Some admiration would have been nice. Just a little. Just once." Professor Yana complained grumpily.  
"Well you ve got it now. But that footprint engine thing. You can t activate it from onboard. It s gotta be from here. You re staying behind." The Doctor said, looking up, alarmed.  
"With Chantho. She won t leave without me. Simply refuses." Yana nodded, not able to understand why.  
"You would give your life so they could fly." Eleanor breathed, feeling great admiration for the man.  
"Oh, I think I m a little too old for Utopia. Time I had some sleep." Yana muttered.

"Professor, tell the Doctor and Priestess we ve found their blue box." Atillo said, over the intercom.  
"Ah!" The Doctor exclaimed, and Eleanor clapped twice.  
"Doctor." Jack said. The Doctor, Eleanor and Yana joined Jack by the monitor that showed the TARDIS safely inside the silo.  
"Professor, it s a wild stab in the dark, but I may just have found you a way out." The Doctor said, patting Yana on the shoulder and pulling El into the TARDIS.

Looking at the blue box, Yana heard the drums beating harder in his head. He watched hazily as the Doctor and El pulled a long power line from the TARDIS, into the lab.

"Extra power." Eleanor said, inserting the line into the outlet. "Little bit of a cheat, but who s counting? Jack, you re in charge of the retro-feeds." Eleanor said.

Martha and Chantho walked back into the lab.

"Oh, am I glad to see that thing." Martha grinned, looking at the TARDIS. Chantho noticed Yana sitting down and rushed to his side.  
"Chan Professor, are you all right tho?" She asked.  
"Yes, I m fine. I m fine." He said weakly. "I m fine. Just get on with it."  
"Connect those circuits into the spar same as that last lot. But quicker." Jack told Martha.  
"Yes, sir." Martha replied.

Eleanor looked up and noticed Yana looking weak. She gave the power lead to the Doctor, who was intently working on something, and walked over to the old man.  
"You don t have to keep working. We can handle it." Eleanor smiled gently.  
"It s just a headache. Just Just noise inside my head, Priestess. Constant noise inside my head."  
"What sort of noise?" Eleanor asked, worried.  
"It s the sound of drums. More and more as though it s getting closer." Yana confided.  
"When did it start?" Eleanor asked.  
"Oh, I ve had it all my life. Every waking hour. Still, no rest for the wicked." Yana said, standing up and going back to work. El looked up sharply at the Doctor, but he hadn't heard. It reminded her of the Time Lords on Gallifrey who couldn't handle the vortex.

~ "How long have you been with the professor?" Martha asked Chantho, as they worked on circuits.  
"Chan 17 years tho." Chantho smiled.  
"Blimey. A long time."  
"Chan I adore him tho." Chantho confided.  
"Oh right, and he " Martha trailed off, looking up at the Doctor as he showed Eleanor something, then said something, causing her to laugh and push him gently.  
"Chan-I don t think he even notices tho."  
"Tell me about it." Martha sighed, this time seeing Eleanor gazing up at the Doctor when she thought he wasn't looking, and the Doctor gazing down at El when he thought she wasn't looking.  
"Chan but I am happy to serve tho." Chantho insisted.  
"Do you mind if I ask? Do you have to start every sentence with chan ?" Martha asked.  
"Chan yes tho."  
"And end every sentence with "  
"Chan tho tho."

Eleanor looked up, intrigued by the blue alien.

"What would happen if you didn't?" The Time Lord asked.  
"Chan that would be rude tho." Chantho said, as if it was odd to even contemplate speaking normally.

"What, like swearing?" Martha asked, amused.  
"Chan indeed tho." Chantho explained.

"Go on." Eleanor winked. Martha grinned.

"Just once." The young girl added. The Doctor listened, amused at the two.  
"Chan I can t tho." Chantho said, nervous but smiling gently.  
"Oh, do it for me." Martha encouraged.  
"No." Chantho said, and giggled. The Doctor had to fight his smile when he heard Eleanor's quiet giggle. For some reason, this regeneration's laugh was contagious; everyone said so!

Atillo, in the control room was panicking slightly.

"Professor!" Atillo shouted over the com. There was no connection. "Systems are down." She typed Yana into the system. "Professor, are you getting me?"

Yana appeared on the screen.  
"I m here! We re ready! Now all you need to do is connect the couplings. Then we can launch." Yana said. But the connection was lost again. "God sakes! This equipment! Needs rebooting all the time!" The man complained.  
"Anything I can do? I ve finished that lot." Martha asked.

"Yes, if you could." Yana replied gratefully. He stood up so Martha could take his seat. "Just press the reboot key every time the picture goes out."

"Certainly, sir. Just don t ask me to do shorthand."  
"Are you still there?" Atillo, coming back on the screen, looked for the professor.  
"Ah, present and correct. Send your man inside. We ll keep the levels down from here." Yana called.

In the control room, Atillo slid the doors open for one on his men in a hazmat suit.

"He's inside. And good luck to him." Atillo said.

"Captain, keep the levels below the red." Professor Yana said to Jack.

"Where is that room?" The Doctor asked.

"It s underneath the rocket. Fix the couplings and the footprint can work. But the entire chamber is flooded with stet radiation." Yana told the Time Lord.

"Stet? Never heard of it." Eleanor called over, rushing from one desk to another with a bunch of couplings and circuits in her arms.

"You wouldn t want to. But it s safe enough. We can hold the radiation back from here." Yana called back.

Eleanor rushed over to watch the monitor as the man worked on the couplings.

Atillo watched through the window in the door. An alarm went out, resonating through the chambers and offices.

"It s rising 0.2. Keep it level!" Yana shouted.

"Yes, sir!" Jack exclaimed.

The worker, Jate, moved onto the second coupling in the radiation room.

A Futurekind woman that had sneaked on board had found the power room, and she switched off fuse's to cause alarms to go off.  
"Chan we re losing power tho!" Chantho exclaimed, looking worried.

The Futurekind woman threw a weight at the fuse box, breaking it.

"Radiation s rising!" The Doctor shouted.  
"We ve lost control!" Jack exclaimed.

"The chamber s going to flood." Yana sighed, closing his eyes.

"Jack! Override the vents!" Eleanor instructed. Jack nodded and rushed to work.

During this commotion, Jate kept working.

"Get out! Get out of there! Jate!" Atillo shouted, growling a little.

The Futurekind laughed at the flames while two armed guards found her.

The woman laughs at the flames. Two armed guards find her.

In the lab, Jack took a hold of two live cables.

"We can jump start the override!" Jack exclaimed happily, and joined the two together.

"Don t! It s going to flare!" The Doctor exclaimed.

Jack screamed as the power surged through him. The others watched helplessly as he convulsed and then fell to the floor.

"Jate, get out of there! Get out!" Atillo shouted.

Within the hazmat suit, Jate disintegrated and the empty suit fell to the floor.

"No!" Atillo screamed.

Martha rushed to Jack's side. "I've got him." She said.

"Chan - don't touch the cables- tho." Chantho warned, and pushed the live wires aside

Everyone, excluding Eleanor and the Doctor, rushed to Jack's side.

"Oh, I'm so sorry." Yana sighed.

"The chamber's flooded with radiation, yeah?" Eleanor asked.

Martha started mouth to mouth CPR with Jack.

"Without the couplings, the engines will never start. It was all for nothing!" The Professor growled.

"Oh, I don't know." The Doctor said, walking forwards. "Martha, leave him." He said, pulling the woman up gently.

"You've gotta let me try." Martha reasoned.

"Come on. Come on. Just listen to me. Now leave him alone. It strikes me, Professor, you ve got a room a man can t enter without dying. Is that correct?" Eleanor asked. Martha glared at the girl.

"Yes." Yana confirmed.

"Well..." The Doctor said, as Jack sat up straight and gasped for breath.

"We've got just the man." Eleanor smiled at the man fondly.

"Was someone just kissing me?" Jack asked breathlessly.

The Doctor, Eleanor and Jack raced through the silo to the control room.

"Lieutenant, get onboard the rocket! I promise you're gonna fly." The Doctor said.

"The chamber's flooded!" Atillo retorted, looking confused.

JACK and the THE DOCTOR race through the silo to the control room.

"Trust me. We ve found a way of tripping the system. Run!" Eleanor shouted. Atillo looked at them before sprinting off to get onboard. Jack started removing his shirt. Eleanor's eyes widened and she grinned slightly.

"Wh-What are you taking your clothes off for?" The Doctor asked, looking at his fiancee's wide eyes with jealousy.

"I'm going in." Jack said, grinning at El.

"Well by the looks of it, I d say that stet radiation doesn t affect clothing, only flesh." The Doctor argued.

"I look good though." Jack said, grinning and winking at El. He suddenly turned serious. "How long have you known?"

"Ever since I ran away from you. Good luck." The Doctor said.

"And you?" Jack asked.

"When the Doctor told me I'd brought you to life, I figured it out." Eleanor told him. Jack nodded, and entered the room flooded with radiation. He walked straight to the couplings. The Doctor and Eleanor watched at the window, nervously.

"We lost picture when that thing flared up. Doctor, are you there?" Martha asked, over the com.

"Receiving, yeah. He s inside." The Doctor told the training doctor.

"And still alive?" She asked.

"Oh yeah." Eleanor called.

They were silent for a moment, the Doctor staring at Jack as he worked.

"When did you first realize?" The Doctor asked.

"Earth 1892. Got in a fight in Ellis Island. A man shot me through the heart. Then I woke up. Thought it was kinda strange. But then it never stopped. Fell off a cliff, trampled by horses, World War I, World War II, poison, strangulation, a stray javelin In the end, I got the message, I m the man who can never die. And all that time you knew." Jack said, causing both El and the Doctor to wince.

"That s why I left you behind. It s not easy even just just looking at you Jack, cause you re wrong." The Doctor said.

"Thanks." Jack retorted.

"You are, Jack. We can't help it. We're Time Lord's. It's instinct." Eleanor said gently.  
"You re a fixed point in time a space. You re a fact. That s never meant to happen. Even the TARDIS reacted against you tried to shake you off. Flew all the way to the end of the universe just to get rid of you." The Doctor added.  
"So what you re saying is that you re, uh, prejudiced?" Jack asked, finishing the couplings. Eleanor looked saddened by that.

"I never thought of it like that. My own friend." She said

"Yeah." Jack replied, but looked up at the girl and smiled. "Last thing I remember back when I was mortal I was facing three Daleks. Death by extermination. And then I came back to life. What happened?" Jack asked.

"Eleanor." The Doctor replied.

"I thought you sent her and Rose back home." Jack replied.

"She came back. Opened the heart of the TARDIS and absorbed the time vortex." Eleanor looked at the floor.

"What does that mean, exactly?" Jack asked.

"No one's meant to have that power. If I was a full Time Lord and did that, I'd have become a god, a vengeful god. Not the type of god a High Priestess is." Eleanor explained.

"Everything El did was out of her control. She should have died, but the hidden Time Lord in there started regeneration, and she turned. She brought you back to life but she couldn't control it. She brought you back forever. That's something, I suppose. The final act of the Time War was life." The Doctor said, stroking Eleanor's hand soothingly.

"Sorry." Eleanor told Jack. He looked up, startled.

"What for?"

"I didn't know that you'd become immortal... You didn't even get the chance."

"Hey! It's fine.. I'd rather see you again millions of times over than be dead, right?" He asked, chuckling as the girl smiled gently.  
"Do you wanna die?" The Doctor asked.

"Oh, this one s a little stuck." Jack said, struggling with the couplings.

"Jack?" Eleanor asked.

"I thought I did. I dunno. But this lot, you see them out here surviving and that's fantastic." He said, moving to the last coupling.

"You may be out there somewhere." The Doctor said.

"I could go meet myself." Jack said, laughing slightly.

"Well, the only man you re ever gonna be happy with." The Doctor joked. His intention was to make El smile again, so he grinned when she did.  
"This new regeneration, it s kinda cheeky." Jack smirked.

"I never understand half the things he says. What s wrong?" Martha asked, turning to Yana.

"Chan Professor, what is it tho?" Chantho asked.

Time travel. They say there was time travel back in the old days. I never believed. But what would I know? I m just a stupid old man. Never could keep time. Always late, always lost. Even this thing never worked." Yana said, pulling a fob watch out of his pocket. Martha gasped. "Time and time and time again. Always running out on me."

"Can I have a look at that?" Martha asked.

"Oh, it s only an old relic. Like me." Yana chuckled, giving her the watch.  
"Where did you get it?" Martha asked, turning it around in her hands.  
"Hm? I was found with it."

"What do you mean?" Martha asked.

"An orphan in the storm. I was a naked child found on the coast of the Silver Devastation. Abandoned with only this." The Professor said, as Martha handed it back.

"Have you opened it?" She asked him.

"Why would I? It s broken."

"How do you know it s broken if you never opened it?" Martha questioned, raising her eyebrows.  
"It s stuck. It s old. It s not meant to be. I don t know." Yana replied, looking confused. "Does it matter?"

"No. It s nothing. It s Listen, everything s fine up here. I m gonna see if the Doctor needs me." Martha said, shakily.

Jack released the last coupling.

"Yes!" He exclaimed.

"Now get out! Come on!" Eleanor instructed.

Jack walked back into the control room as the Doctor called Atillo.

"Lieutenant, everyone on board?"

"Ready and waiting." Atillo replied.

"Stand by! Two minutes to ignition." The Doctor said, and hung up the phone.

Eleanor, Jack and the Doctor were working the controls when Martha sprinted into the room.

"Ah, nearly there. The footprint is a gravity pulse. It stamps down, the rocket shoots up. Bit primitive. It s gonna take the both of us to keep it stable." The Doctor said.

Martha noticed that he was busier than El, so she stood in front of her as she worked.

"El, it s the professor. He s got this watch. He s got a fobwatch. It s the same as yours and the Doctor's. Same writing on it. Same everything." Martha told her.

"Don't be ridiculous." Eleanor said, not even turning to the girl.

"I asked him. He said he s had it all his life." Martha said, unaware that the Doctor was listening intently.

"So he's got the same watch." Jack shrugged.

"Yeah, but it s not a watch. It s this chameleon thing." Martha demanded.

"No. It's this thing, this device, it rewrites biology, changes a Time Lord into a human." Eleanor explained.

"And it's the same watch." Martha insisted.

"It can't be." The Doctor said darkly. Eleanor looked up.

An alarm blared and the Doctor tried to fix it.

"That means he could be a Time Lord. You two might not be the last ones." Jack suggested.

"Jack, keep it level!" The Doctor demanded.

"But that's brilliant, isn't it?" Martha asked.

"Yes, it is. Course it is. Depends which one. Brilliant, fantastic, yeah. But they died, the Time Lords. All of them, except us two, they died." The Doctor said.

"Not if he was human. What if he was like El?" Jack asked.

The noise was too loud, and the Doctor didn't hear.

"What did he say, Martha? What did he say?" The Doctor shouted.

"He looked at the watch like he could hardly see it. Like that perception filter thing." Martha gasped. Eleanor raised her eyebrows.

"What about now? Can he see it now?" El asked.  
"If he escaped the Time War like El then it s the perfect place to hide. The end of the universe." Jack suggested.

"Think of what the Face of Boe said. His dying words. He said " Martha said.

The Doctor launched the rocket.

Yana opened the fob watch and released the contents.

The Doctor and Eleanor felt it. The Doctor remembered the Face of Boe's words and made the connection.

"You Are Not Alone."

The initials spelt Yana.

"Chan Professor Yana tho?" Chantho asked, worried as Yana's demeanor completely changed.

Yana turned from the TARDIS and turned to Chantho, a knowing smirk on his face.

The Doctor, Eleanor, Jack and Martha sprinted through the silo to get back to the lab.

Yana switched a lever, however, locking the doors to get in.

The Doctor, Jack and Eleanor started working with the sonic and keypads to get it open.

Yana, however, had turned down all the defences, allowing the Futurekind to get into the building.

"Chan Professor, I m so sorry but I must stop you. You re destroying all our work tho." Chantho said, holding a gun up to Yana.

"Oh... now I can say I was provoked." Yana replied, holding out one of the live cables.

The Doctor, Jack, El and Martha got the door open and sprinted down the halls, but upon seeing the Futurekind, they backtracked.

"Did you never think, in all those years standing beside me, to ask about that watch? Never? Did you never think, not ever, that you could set me free?" Yana demanded.

"Chan- I'm sorry - tho. Chan- I'm so sorry." Chantho whimpered.

"And you with your 'chan' and your 'tho' driving me insane." The old man growled.

"Chan Professor, please "

"That is not my name! The Professor was an invention. So perfect a disguise that I forgot who I am. Exactly what happened to dear little Eleanor Thorn, formerly, Amaryllis. High Priestess." The man spat.

"Chan- who are you -tho?" Chan-tho asked.

"I am the Master." The man whispered, and thrust the sparking cable forwards.

The Futurekind chased the group down the corridors.

"This way!" Jack exclaimed.

The Master knelt and reached to take the jar containing the Doctor's hand.

The Doctor, Eleanor, Martha and Jack arrived at the locked lab door. Eleanor worked on the keypad while the Doctor looked through the window.

"Professor! Professor, let me in! Let me in! Eleanor, get the door open!" The Doctor exclaimed, pounding on the window.

The Master walked to the computer displaying the nav chart for Utopia.

"Professor! Professor, where are you? Professor! Professor, are you there? Please, I need to explain! Whatever you do, don t open that watch!" The Doctor exclaimed.

The Master removed the circuit board. "Utopia." He said, condescendingly.

"They're coming!" Martha shouted.

"Professor!" Eleanor shouted.

"Oh, little Amaryllis. With her head in the clouds. Remember me yet?" He asked, pulling cables from the TARDIS. Eleanor looked confused as she continued to work on the keypad.

" Open the door, please! I m begging you, Professor! Please! Listen to me!" The Doctor shouted.

Chantho, lying on the floor, reached for the gun.

"Open the door!" Eleanor demanded.

The Master turned and Chantho fired. The Master groaned, staggered and fell against the TARDIS. Eleanor snatched Jack's revolver, smashed the keyboard with the butt of it, and the door opened. She handed it back, smiling sweetly. They sprinted inside, and stopped. Facing the Master.

The Doctor tried to move forwards, but the Master backed into the TARDIS.

"Send the girl, or I kill her." The Master said through gritted teeth, pointing a gun at El. El whimpered, her eyes began to flash.

She didn't move.

"Forget that. Move in here, girl, or I'll kill him." The Master promised, turning the gun on the Doctor. Eleanor sprinted into the TARDIS, without a second thought.

The Master locked the door. Eleanor watched as the Master flicked certain switches, refusing the Doctor access.

"Who are you?" She whispered.

"The Master." The man replied, grinning evilly as the girl gasped, a tear dropping down her face.

"No." She whispered.

"I deadlocked the door. Your precious Doctor can't get in." He spat.

The Doctor pounded on the door. Jack had never seen him so angry.

"Let me in, let me in now! If she so much as has a scratch on her, I will not be held responsible!" The Doctor shouted.

"I'm begging you! Give her back to me, she's the only thing I've got! We're the only three left!" The Doctor shouted, a tear snaking down his cheek.

Martha went to help Jack at the door, feeling miserable at the 'only thing left' comment.

"Just let me in." The Doctor begged, his voice breaking.

"Killed by an insect! A girl! How inappropriate. Still, if the Doctor and Priestess can be young and strong, then so can I. The Master... reborn. Eleanor. Get down." He said, almost pleading with her. She shook her head.

"Get down!" He spat, begging her, concern in his eyes. She ducked behind a pillar as he flung his arms and head out, regenerating. Golden light poured from his neck and arms and El winced as he screamed.

Outside, the Doctor heard the Master show concern, and he saw the light and heard the scream. He stared blankly, feeling empty.

The Futurekind arrived at the door and Jack and Martha tried to hold them back.

"Doctor! You'd better think of something!" Jack shouted.

Eleanor looked up at a younger Master, waking up next to the Doctor's hand.

"Amaryllis." He whimpered, before waking up properly. He stared at the hand, standing slowly.  
"Ha, ha! Ha, ha, ha!" He said, running around the TARDIS. He opened the speaker. "Doctor- ooh, new voice." He said. "Hello." He said, in a deep voice. "Hello." High voice. "Hello, normal voice. Anyway, why don't we stop and have a nice little chat while I tell you all my plans and you can work out a way to stop me? I don't think!" He exclaimed.

"Stop it, Koschei." Eleanor whispered, and the Master turned to her, eyes softening. But then he looked furious.

"No! You can't call me that anymore, you don't have the right!" He cried, pain in his voice. "I never forgot, you know. And now I'm not going to let you forget."

Eleanor heard the Doctor's voice through the TARDIS doors, and sobbed.

"I'm asking you really properly! Just stop! Just think!" The Doctor exclaimed, his voice breaking.

"Use my name." The Master instructed.

"Master. I'm sorry." The Doctor said.

"Tough!" He said, starting the controls.

"I love you, Doctor!" Eleanor shouted.

"I love you too, El." He shouted, taking out his sonic.

"I can't hold out much longer, Doctor!" Jack warned.

The control started sparking, due to the sonic.

"Oh, no you don't. End of the universe. Have fun. Bye bye!" The Master shouted happily, starting the TARDIS again.

Eleanor then knew, that to stop the Master, she would have to become close to him again.

But the Doctor would see.

She sighed, and stripped her left hand on the engagement ring, putting it in her pocket. 


	20. The Girl With Her Head In The Clouds

"Eleanor, dear, are you still thinking of him?" The Master asked, stroking the girls face while she clenched her teeth, shaking. She nodded.

"Well, I'll have to stop that, won't I?" He asked, knowing full well what he was doing. He pulled a gun dangerously close to her head, and upon seeing her eyes darker than he had before, he smiled and placed it back in her holster. He smiled more when she turned faint, turning back to Amaryllis, the girl he used to love.

"Amaryllis, the girl with her head in the clouds. That was your nickname." The Master smirked, tracing her jaw line with the end of his gun while she drifted and dazed.

"Oh, our love burned." He hissed, narrowing his eyes.

Amaryllis collapsed, the weight of the spirits in her head too much for her, and she fell to the ground. The Master picked her up, and took her to her bedroom, complete with plush bed and furniture.

"Harold." A timid voice said at the doorway. The Master turned.

"What?" He demanded, his eyes returning back to their harsh state as he looked at his wife.

"Let her rest." She said, and pulled him out of the room.

Eleanor smiled as he left, and opened her eyes. She shivered at the thought of that gun tracing her neck. But one thing she smiled at, was how much she was getting better at controlling her eyes, at controlling Amaryllis, leaving the Master none the wiser. It burnt.

The Doctor, Jack Harkness and Martha Jones slowly walked over to a giant TV screen, showing the news.

They watched as the Master and his wife, Lucy, walked out out the Palace. Followed by Eleanor Thorn. The Doctor's heart panged, but what hurt the most is that he saw her left hand was ring less, and her face was full of a smile. He closed his eyes.

"I said I knew that voice. We he spoke inside the TARDIS. I've heard that voice hundreds of times. I've seen him. We all have. That was the voice of Harold Saxon." Martha said, trying to get away from the subject that Eleanor was with the Master, all dressed up/

"That's him. That's the Master." The Doctor replied quietly.

"Mr Saxon, this way, sir. Come on, kiss the lady, sir." A photographer demanded.

The Doctor watched as Saxon kissed Lucy.

"Look, he's married." Martha said, smiling. Then the Doctor opened his eyes in time to see Eleanor, in the background, mouth the words 'Help.' to the camera.

"This country has been sick. This country needs healing. This country needs medicine. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that, what this country needs, right now... is a doctor. What we don't need, is the religion that everything is okay." The Master said, giving a pointed look to Eleanor.

"Religion?" Martha asked.

"Eleanor's a Priestess." Jack muttered quietly, noticing that the Doctor had gone rigid.

Saxon, Lucy and Eleanor stopped outside the door to the cabinet room.

"I'm so proud of you, Harry." Lucy said, kissing Saxon. All the time they were kissing, his eyes were wide open and staring at Eleanor, daring her to say anything.

El knew by now that if she went against anything he said, he threatened her and she had to pretend to be Amaryllis, as to not break her cover. He had hurt her once. She had the bruises to prove it. The scars on her arms and the nicks on her neck. Telltale signs of an abuser.

Eleanor's eyes grew wide as she saw Tish Jones walking up to the couple.

"Bless." Saxon said.

"Uh, sir... If you don't mind me asking... I'm sorry, but it's all a bit new. What exactly do you want me to do?" Tish asked, hesitantly.

"Oh, yes, what was it, uh..?" Saxon asked.

"Tish. Letitia Jones." Tish replied.

"Tish. Well then, Tish... You just stand there and look gorgeous." He said. Eleanor rolled her eyes. "Eleanor, you're with me." Saxon demanded, clicking his fingers and she joined him. They walked into the cabinet room.

"A glorious day. Downing Street rebuilt, the Cabinet in session. Let the work of government begin." Saxon said, grinning.

"Mr Saxon, do you think this is an appropriate place to bring the mistress?" One man said, pointing at Eleanor. She gritted her teeth but pretended to look a bit thick, as the Master instructed.

She needed him to think she loved him again, or he would kill her and would be vengeful to the Doctor, something she really didn't want.

Amaryllis, before changing to the High Priestess, got top marks in all classes, had all the friends, and was well liked by everyone.

Including the Master. The Doctor, unaware of who she was, too dedicated to stealing TARDIS' and taking them for test drives and thinking of his future life in the stars, was also oblivious to how much his hearts raced when he saw her. For even then, they were soul mates. Neither of them gave the other a second glance.

The Master, however, longed for Amaryllis to love him back, as much as he doted on her. He had barely said two words to her, but was infatuated at how easy she made life seem. And he needed an easy life, what with the constant drums inside his head.

Much to his delight, Amaryllis started glancing over at him, causing him to blush and look down. She had started smiling when she walked past, she had started saying hello if they bumped into each other.

And one day, he picked up the courage to talk to her.

"Amaryllis." He said, and she turned, her long brunette hair falling down to her feet.

"Hello." She said, smiling.

"Um.. I.. was wondering... if you.." He trailed, pulling his ear lobe.

"Are you asking me out?" She grinned. He nodded, wincing a little. She laughed. Her laugh was beautiful, and the Master fell that little bit more in love with her.

"I would like that." She replied, and she brushed a stray hair from his shoulder.

"Great. That's... great. Um, great." The Master stumbled, causing her to scrunch her nose up in delight. So much like the man she dreamed about.

Little did she know, but her soul mate was currently elsewhere, and also was the Master's best friend.

Eleanor Thorn had been slandered by the press for being the love partner of Harold Saxon, and Lucy had been fawned over for being the poor old wife. Of course, Eleanor hadn't so much as kissed the Master, but the Master refused to let the press know otherwise.

So she simply stood, waiting for Saxon to say something.

"What I say, goes." Saxon grinned. "Oh, go on. Crack a smile. It's funny, isn't it? Albert, funny? No? Little bit?" Saxon asked, throwing his files into the air and letting the papers inside scatter out. Eleanor flinched.

"Very funny, sir. But if we could just get down to business, there is the matter of policy, of which we have very little-" Albert said.

"No, no, no, no. Before we start all that, I just want to say thank you. Thank you one and all, you ugly, fat-faced bunch of wet, snivelling traitors." Saxon said lightheartedly. Eleanor grimaced and took a seat, unaware of what was soon coming.

"Yes, quite. Very funny. But I thi-" Dumfries said, not seeing the funny side.

"No, no. That wasn't funny." Saxon said, standing up. "Hm, you see, I'm not making myself very clear. Funny is like this." He said, grinning. "Not funny is like this." He then said, frowning. "And right now, I'm not like this." He said, smiling manically again. "I'm like this." He stated, frowning again. "Because you, are traitors. Oh, yes you are! As soon as you saw the vote swinging my way, you abandoned your parties and jumped on the Saxon bandwagon. So.." Saxon said, sitting again. "This is your reward." He said, first slipping a gas mask on Eleanor, without her realising until the last moment, and then slipping another on himself.

"Excuse me, Prime Minister, do you mind my asking... what is this?" Dumfries asked, as Eleanor tried to take the mask off. Saxon held her hands down, forcing it to stay on, panic in his eyes at the thought of her drowning in the gas.

"It's a gas mask." Saxon replied, his voice muffled.

"I beg your pardon?" Dumfries asked, confused.

"It's a gas mask." Saxon replied, lifting his mask and then slipping it back on.

"Yes, but, uh, why are you both wearing it?"

"I don't know." Eleanor said, utterly confused too.

"Well, because of the gas." Saxon said, as if obvious.

"No." Eleanor said, it dawning on her. "Get out, everyone get out! Come on!" She cried, trying to get everyone to stand. They looked at her as if she had gone mad.

"What gas?" Dumfries asked.

"This gas." Saxon replied, leaning back. Eleanor screeched as the speakerphones in the middle of the table popped up and emitted a white gas. The Ministers coughed and choked as a terrified and distraught Eleanor tried to drag them out.

"You're insane!" Dumfries cried, pointing at Saxon.

Saxon raised both his thumbs, as Dumfries collapsed, dead.

Saxon began tapping a rhythm on the table with his fingers.

"You killed them." Eleanor accused, turning on them.

"Well observed. You get a treat later." The Master replied.

"You weren't like this." Eleanor replied, her voice low.

"Oh, how would you know, Amaryllis dearest?" The Master sneered.

Upon hearing his words, Eleanor's eyes flashed purple, she was outraged at what he had done. She really couldn't control herself this time, and she collapsed to the floor.

Saxon looked alarmed, and he leaped out of his chair and picked the girl up.

"Oh, Amy. It's alright. It's alright." He cooed, rocking her back and forth, drumming the rhythm on her back as he held her.

Eleanor, upon waking up, was sat in her bed, crying over everything she had lost and could yet lose. She pulled her beloved engagement ring from the necklace around her neck, and kissed it, wishing she could see the Doctor.

It had been so long now since she'd last seen him, and she had had to lie and pretend ever since.

She'd had to pretend to like the Master, to lie about everything she felt. She'd had to be flashed in the public eye as his mistress. She'd been tortured by him, for torturing him when they were younger, and he promised her more.

But underneath it all, Eleanor knew that the Master loved her still. She saw it when she passed out and heard his panicked voice, worried that she was dead. When she was thinking of the Doctor, and he noticed, and just stared at her.

She knew that if she could become even closer to him, she could persuade him to stop whatever he planned on doing.

Amaryllis felt the linger of his kiss on her lips, the bittersweet. She heard the drums, she kissed away his anxiety, his fears, his madness. He was very much in love with her, and she with him.

And then she noticed the mark on her chest.

"Look." She said, pointing to the image of an axe on her chest, that looked like a freckle.

"Amy... It's the image of the Warrior." The Master gulped. She looked terrified.

"I can't... Oh, God. All the deaths." She whispered, closing her eyes.

"Am... Don't go." He whispered, bringing his forehead close to hers and breathing heavily as he stared at the mark.

"I have to." She replied. "You know what happens if I don't. Execution." She muttered, wrapping her arms around his neck. He growled and threw her off him.

"I knew. I knew you'd leave me!" He roared. She walked over to him softly, and brought his head down to hers, sealing her love.

"I won't forget you." She promised.

There was a knock at the door. El wiped her tears and sat up.

"Come in." She said, trying to control her voice. Saxon walked in.

"Oh, I'm glad you're awake, Am." He said, sitting on the end of her bed.

"I'm not Amaryllis anymore. I'm Eleanor. I wish you'd understand, Harry. I'm not who I used to be." Eleanor said, pleading with him to understand.

"Oh.. you'll always be Amaryllis to me." He breathed, holding her hand. "And I'm glad I have you back."

"Me too." Eleanor lied, clinging to his hand, imagining it was the Doctor's. "Harold. Please, just consider what you're doing. If you stop whatever you're planning, we could run away, like we used to." Eleanor promised, although she knew where she'd run too. She'd take him to the Doctor.

"Can't you hear it?" He whispered. Eleanor shook her head. "You used to." He moaned, standing up. "You used to!" He shouted, pushing Eleanor down. She looked up, too scared to even contemplate changing. He smiled fondly, and left the room.

The next day, Eleanor heard children's voices, and became alarmed that Saxon might have included children in whatever thing he was planning.

She rushed into a room, and gasped when she saw three sphere's zooming around the room, with Saxon, Lucy and a journalist.

"Oh, here she is. My little Eleanor. Come to see the show?" Saxon asked, putting his arm around her and pulling her closer. Eleanor wriggled out of his grasp.

"What are these?" She demanded.

"The lady doesn't like us." One of the sphere's said, in a childish female voice.

"Silly lady." The other said.

"Dead lady." Another said.

"NO! If you even think of touching her, I will personally dismantle you and rip everything that makes you up, out!" Saxon roared. The sphere's stopped, and instead descended on the journalist, and Saxon quickly pulled both El and Lucy out of the room.

"But she knew. Harry, she knew everything. You promised. You said Archangel was 100%." Lucy sighed. Eleanor was glaring at the floor, desperately trying to control Amaryllis.

"Um, 99, 98.." Saxon said, opening the door and wincing at the screams that sounded. Eleanor whimpered and sprinted away from the twisted couple.

"Should I got after her?" Lucy asked. Saxon shook his head.

"Leave her. She's just in shock." Saxon told her.

"But if that journalist was asking questions, then who else? How much time have we got?" Lucy asked. Saxon held his arms out to her and pulled her into a hug.

"Tomorrow morning, I promise. That's when everything ends." Saxon promised.

Eleanor grimaced, having being forced to attend the press conference, as Saxon introduced the sphere's, called the Toclafane.

"People of the Earth, we come in peace... We bring great gifts. We bring technology and wisdom and protection. And all we ask in return is your friendship." The Toclafane said. Saxon looked up at Eleanor's scowl and glared at her, but smiled when she smiled, a forced and fake one.

"Ooh, sweet. And this species has indentified itself. They're called the Toclafane." Saxon said, smiling at the camera. "And tomorrow morning they will appear. Not in secret, but to all of you. Diplomatic relations with a new species will begin. Tomorrow, we take our place in the universe. Every man, woman and child. Every teacher and chemist and lorry driver and farmer. And every... ooh, I don't know... medical student?"

Eleanor gasped, and sprinted away from the conference, which the Doctor saw as he watched on TV. He also saw the Master motion for a guard to get her.

The Doctor whipped around looking at Martha, before turning to the TV and finding the bomb ready to go off. The Doctor grabbed the laptop as they rushed into the street, himself, Martha and Jack, as the front window of her flat exploded.

"All right?" He asked.

"Fine. Yeah, fine." Jack said.

"Martha?" The Doctor asked. Martha was using her mobile. "What are you doing?" 


	21. Forced Regeneration

The security guards surrounded Eleanor as she tried to run away, desperate to find Martha and make sure she was still alive.

They tried chasing her, but it would only attract attention.. Unwanted attention.

"Sir.. We don't know what to do with her." One guard said, eyeing up the girl warily as she was cornered by them.

"Have you got tranquliser darts?" Saxon asked.

"I hear you. Consider it done." The man replied on the intercom.

He loaded his tranquiliser gun, and after wincing at her ear piercing scream, he shot her arm.

"How... Dare... You..." The girl said dazily, and she went limp. One man shot his arms out and caught her.

They began carrying her back the short distance to the Master.

"Whatever anyone says... She's a pretty thing isn't she?" The man carrying her asked. The others nodded.

"Now, Eleanor. You've been a very naughty girl. I have warned you to stay where I can see you, but you disobeyed. Do you know what's going to happen to you, my sweet?" Saxon asked, stroking the girls cheek as she shook her head as a no.

"Well... I'm going to introduce you to a little thing called forced regeneration." Saxon smiled. Eleanor's eyes grew wide and she shook her head furiously.

"Please don't... I'm sorry... I'll do whatever you want." Eleanor pleaded, tears forming in her eyes. The pain... The humility. She wouldn't be forced into regeneration by him.

"I've made my mind up." He said harshly, and pulled her into a small room and locked the door.

Eleanor, now on her own, broke down. She collapsed onto the floor, crying as she thought of being forced to die and regenerate. She cried at how close she had been to escaping. She cried at how she knew she would never get the Master to change his mind. She cried at how she would probably never see the Doctor again.

Eleanor waited hours for him to come through the door. When he saw her tear stained face, his hard heart softened.

"Amaryllis... I don't want to do this. So let's count this as a warning. But if you try to leave me again.. You will be forced into regneration.. And you will learn to love me again." Saxon promised, kissing the thankful girls cheek.

"Thank you.." Eleanor whispered, smiling gently.

"Thank you what?" The Master asked.

"Thank you Master." A hard voiced Eleanor said, unwillingly.

"That's better." The Master cooed, and he grabbed her hand, pulling her out of the room.

_**Amaryllis, now commonly known as the High Priestess of Gallifrey, was something of a legend amongst the Time Lords. The people who knew her were worried about her, everyone else thought she was a myth.**_

_**The person most distraught, however, was the Master. Young and driven mad by the drums in his head, he was turning bad, quickly.**_

_**Nothing the Doctor said or did could calm down his best friend.**_

_**"You weren't soul mates, you know it would have had a bad ending." The Doctor mentioned, looking up at the grand tower, where Amaryllis was. For some reason, the Doctor felt a strong connection to that tower, only he didn't understand why.**_

_**"You don't know what it's like. You can't possibly know how I'm feeling." The Master snapped, shoving the Doctor away from him and storming off, not knowing what to do.**_

_**His love was trapped in a tower, for a very long time, and he was already dead without her.**_

_**He heard footsteps behind him. "C'mon. Why don't you try and forget about her?" The Doctor reasoned, concerned for his friend.**_

_**"Shut up. Just... Just shut up." The Master retorted, his voice breaking.**_

_**The Doctor watched as his friend walked away, his shoulders heaving as he left.**_

Saxon made Eleanor sit with him as he tapped into the phone call, wanting to reassure El that Martha was alive. He would have been alerted if his plan had been successful.

"Ooh, a nice little game of hide and seek. I love that. But I'll find you, Martha Jones. Been a long time since we saw each other. Must be, what, one hundred trillion years?" Saxon asked on the phone. Martha gasped when she heard Eleanor sob in the background.

"Let them go, Saxon. Do you hear me? Let my parents and El go!" She demanded, as the Doctor wheeled around upon hearing El's name.

He snatched the phone from Martha. "Where is she?" He demanded.

"Right hear next to me. And what a pretty little thing she is. Prettier than Amaryllis, eh?" Saxon asked, smirking as he stared at Eleanor with tears tracing down her face.

"Is she alright?" The Doctor asked, his voice fierce.

"Let's ask her shall we. Amaryllis, how are you?" Saxon asked. Eleanor nodded meekly, unable to speak, scared of the consequences if she did.

"She isn't Amaryllis, you need to get that into your head. She is not the girl you fell in love with." The Doctor replied, pleading with him to understand.

"She is the same girl." The Master insisted, watching as the girl's head fell as she choked up on her tears.

"Who are those creatures? Cause there's no such thing as the Toclafane. It's just a made up name like the Bogeyman." The Doctor said.

"Do you remember all those fairy tales about the Toclafane when we were kids? Back home. Where is it, Doctor?" The Master asked.

"Gone. Surely Eleanor told you that." The Doctor said.

"She wouldn't tell me anything. She has the scars to prove it." The Master smirked. He held the phone away from his ear and winced at El as the Doctor screamed obscenities down the phone.

"Calm down, old man." The Master replied. "Tell me about the Time Lords."

"Dead. And the Daleks. More or less. What happened to you?" An angry Doctor asked.

"The Time Lords only resurrected me because they knew I'd be the perfect warrior for a Time War. I was there when the Dalek Emperor took control of the Cruciform. I saw it. I ran. I ran so far. Made myself human so they would never find me because... I was so scared." The Master replied, gazing into the distance.

"I know."

"All of them? But you two, which must mean.." The Master trailed off.

"I was the only one who could end it. And I tried. I did. I tried everything." The Doctor said.

"What did it feel like, though? Two almighty civilizations burning. Oh, tell me, how did it feel?"

The Doctor grimaced as he heard a teary Eleanor shout, "Stop it!"

"You must have been like a God." The Master said.

"Don't listen to him." Eleanor shouted, but was cut off when the Master put a hand over her mouth.

"I've been alone ever since. But not anymore. I have Eleanor. My soul mate. And if she is harmed when she comes back to me, I won't be responsible for my actions." The Doctor warned.

"The Vengeful God." The Master grinned, ruffling Eleanor's hair.

"Or.. you could stop this right now. We could leave this planet. All three of us. We could fight across the constellations if that's what you want. But not on Earth." The Doctor said.

"Aw, and watch while you marry and bond with the woman I love?" The Master demanded. "No. It's too late."

"Why do you say that?"

"The drumming. I thought it would stop but it never does. Never ever stops. Inside my head, the drumming, Doctor. The constant drumming."

"El and I could help you. Please, let us help." The Doctor pleaded.

"It's everywhere. Listen, listen, listen." He said, and he tapped the rhythm on the table. "Here come the drums. Here come the drums."

The Doctor watched as people around him absentmindedly tapped on walls or their legs.

"What have you done? Tell me how you've done this. What are those creatures? Tell me!" The Doctor shouted.

"Ooh look. You're on TV." The Master said, sitting in front of his laptop.

"Stop it! Answer me!"

"No, really. You're on telly!" He said, clicking on BBC news. "You and your little band, which, by the way, is ticking every demographic box. So, congratulations on that. Look, there you are! Ha!" The Master exclaimed, and El moved closer to see his face.

The reporter said, "They are known to be armed and extremely dangerous."

"You're public enemies number one, two and three. Oh, and you can tell handsome Jack that I've sent his little gang off on a wild goose chase to the Himalayas so he won't be getting any help from that. Now, go on, off you go. Why not start by turning to the right?" Saxon asked.

Eleanor stared blankly at the screen, all emotion driven out of her.

The Doctor turned and noticed the camera. He used the sonic on it.

"Ooh, you public menace. Better start running. Go on. Run!"

He hung up the phone and laughed manically as he watched them on the CCTV camera. Eleanor closed her eyes.

Saxon, Lucy and Eleanor arrived to greet President Winters.

"Mr President, sir!" Saxon saluted. The president looked concerned about the lack of emotion showing on El's face, the blank expression, the empty eyes.

"Mr Saxon. The British Army will stand down. From now on, UNIT has control of this operation." The President replied.

"You make it sound like an invasion."

"First contact policy was decided by the Security Council in 1968. And you've just gone and ignored it." The President accused.

''Well, you know what it's like. New job, all that paperwork. I think it's down the back of the settee. I did have a quick look. I found a pen, a sweet, a bus ticket and uh... Have you met the wife?" Saxon asked.

"Mr Saxon, I'm not sure what your game is but there are provisions at the UN to have you removed from office unless you are very, very careful. Is that understood? Are you taking this seriously? To business. We've accessed your files on these... Toclafane." The President said. In the background, the Doctor, Martha and Jack stood, with their perception filters. "First contact cannot take place on any soverign soil. For that purpose, the aircraft carrier Valiant is en route. The rendezvous will take place there at 8:00 am." Saxon tried talking through his metaphorically zipped lips. "You're trying my patience sir."

He unzipped his lips. "So America is completely in charge?"

"Since Britain elected an ass, yes. I'll see you onboard the Valiant." The President sighed, and turned to leave.

"It will still be televised, though, won't it? Because I promised, and the whole world is watching." Saxon replied.

"Since it's too late to pull out, the world will be watching. Me." Winters said, and walked to his car.

"The last President of America. We have a private plane ready and waiting. We should reach the Valient within the hour, my darlings." Saxon said.

Eleanor looked behind her, and saw the three hero's. She saw right through the perception filters, but that was because she would recognise the Doctor out of anything. He was her soul mate. He smiled as her face lit up upon seeing them. She grinned as Jack threw thumbs up at her and Martha nodded.

El turned around when she heard a police siren, and the Jones family were taken out. She rushed over.

"Oh, my God." El said.

"Hi, guys! All will be revealed!" Saxon exclaimed.

"How could you do this?" Eleanor demanded.

"I'm gonna kill him." Martha spat.

"Say I use this perception filter to walk up behind him and break his neck?"

"Now that sounds like Torchwood." The Doctor said. He was devastated that he had Martha's family, but was reassured that they would be with El, and she would look after them.

"Still a good plan." Jack said.

Saxon and Lucy arrived at the conference on board the valient. El was already there, with two guards at either side in case she decided to go for walkies.

"I want the whole thing branded in my sort of honest, not the UN's. Got that?" President Winters asked.

Eleanor looked nervously at the camera crews, secret service agents and military personnel milling around the room.

She zoned out of what they were saying, uninterested. She knew the Doctor was coming, she just hated not knowing the plan.

She snapped back into it, however, when President Winters climbed the steps to address the room. "Two minutes, everyone! According to the treaty, all armed personnel are requested to leave the flight deck immediately. Thank you."

El wanted to slap the smug and amused looks on Saxon and Lucy's faces.

She couldn't, however. "Jelly baby?" The Master asked, handing the bag to El, over the guard on her left. She knocked the bag onto the floor. He shrugged.

"Your loss." He said.

"Broadcasting at 7:58 with the arrival timed at 0800 precisely. And uh, good luck to all of us." The President said.

"My fellow Americans, patriots, people of the world…I stand before you today as ambassador for humanity, a role I will undertake with utmost solemnity. Perhaps our Toclafane cousins can offer us much, but that is important is not that we gain material benefits, but that we learn to see ourselves anew." Winters said.

The Doctor, Martha and Jack walked into the room, perception filters on their necks still. As the Master's smile faded, Eleanor's grew.

"And I ask you now, I ask of the human race, to join with me in welcoming our friends. I give you the Toclafane." The President said, and the sphere's appeared around him. "My name is Arthur Coleman Winters, President-Elect of the United States of America and designated representative of the United Nations. I welcome you to the planet Earth and its associated moon."

"You're not the Master." One Toclafane said.

"We like the Mr Master." The other accused.

"We don't like you." The final one said.

"I.. can be Master, if you so wish. I will accept mastery over you if that is God's will." Winters said.

"Man is stupid."

"Master is our friend."

"Where's my Master, pretty please?"

"Oh, all right then. It's me." The Master said, standing up and smiling. "Ta-da! Sorry. Sorry, I have this effect. People just get obsessed. Is it the smile? Is it the aftershave? Is it the capacity to laugh at myself? I don't know. It's crazy!" Saxon explained.

"Saxon, what are you talking about?" Winters demanded. Saxon suddenly turned serious.

"I'm taking control, Uncle Sam. Starting with you." He said, and turned to the black sphere's. "Kill him."

Eleanor yelped as the Toclafane shot Winter's and he disintegrated. Chaos ensued. Everyone tried to leave the room.

"Guards!" Saxon laughed, and the armed guards pulled out their weapons. Eleanor took the Master's hand as he pulled her away from the weapons. She could see how anxious he was to get her away.

She looked straight in the Doctor's eyes. "I love you." She mouthed. He nodded.

"Now then, peoples of the Earth, please attend carefully." Saxon said to the camera. The Doctor rushed forward. Eleanor strained out of the Master's grasp as two guards grabbed the Doctor and forced him to the ground.

"We meet at last, Doctor. Oh, ho! I love saying that! Oh, and isn't this one anxious about seeing you?" The Master asked, motioning to his hard grip on El's hand.

"Stop this! Stop it now!" The Doctor exclaimed through gritted teeth.

"As if a perception filter's gonna work on me. Oh, and look, it's the girlie and the freak. Although, I'm not sure which one's which." The Master smirked.

"Don't." Eleanor growled. Jack rushed forwards and Saxon fired a laser at Jack, causing him to fall to the floor. In doing so, he dropped El's hand, and she rushed over to the temporarily dead man. "Laser screwdriver, who'd have sonic? And the good thing is, he's not dead for long. I get to kill him again!"

Martha joined El with Jack, where she wound her arms around the shaking Time Lady's shoulders.

"Master, just calm down. Just look at what you're doing. Just stop. If you could see yourself..." The Doctor begged.

"Oh, do excuse me. Little bit of personal business. Back in a minute." The Master sighed at the camera. "Let him go." He told the guards.

The guards pushed the Doctor to the floor. El rushed over to him, and grabbed his hand.

"It's that sound, the sound in your head. What if I could help?" The Doctor asked.

"Oh, how to shut him up? I know. Memory Lane!" The Master exclaimed, sitting on the steps facing the other Time Lords. "Professor Lazarus. Remember him? And his genetic manipulation device? Did you think that little Tish got that job merely by coincidence? I've been laying traps for you all this time. And if I can concentrate all that Lazarus technology into one little screwdriver…But, ooh, if I only had the Doctor's biological code. Oh, wait a minute, I do! I've got his hand! And if Lazarus made himself younger, what if I reverse it? Another hundred years?" The Master asked, ignoring El's scream as she pointed the screwdriver at the Doctor. El cried and panicked as the Doctor went into convulsions, screaming as his genetic makeup was altered.

She stood, sobs wracking through her body. "Stop, stop it! Do it to me instead!" She cried.

"Oh, no, my sweet. He's paying for taking you away from me." The Master replied.

Saxon stopped and the Doctor was transformed into a very old man. El jumped down and grabbed his hand and he smiled weakly at her. Martha crawled over to the couple.

"Doctor, we've got you." She said.

"Aw, she's a would be doctor. But tonight, Martha Jones, we've flown 'em in all the way from prison-" Saxon said as the doors slid open and Francine, Clive and Tish walked in.

"Mum." Martha choked.

"I'm sorry." Francine cried.

"The Toclafane. Who are they? Who are they?" The Doctor asked, breathing heavily.

"Doctor, if I told you the truth, your hearts would break." The Master smiled.

"Is it time?" The Toclafane asked. "Is it ready? Is the machine singing?"

Saxon checked his watch. "Two minutes past." He mounted the steps and joined Lucy. "So, Earthings. Basically, um, end of the world." He said, holding up his screwdriver." Here... come... the drums!"

Rogue Trader's 'Voodoo Child' played over head. "Here come the drums, here come the drums..."

The paradox machine activated. Saxon looked out of the window as above the Valient, a rift opened in the sky. Toclafane, millions of Toclafane, poured out of the rift.

"How many do you think?" Saxon asked Lucy.

"I don't know." Lucy replied.

"Six billion. Down you go kids!"

They swarmed down on Earth, targeting major cities.

"Shall we decimate them? That sounds good. Decimate. Remove one tenth of the population!" The Master exclaimed.

"No!" Eleanor cried.

"Oh, sweet Amaryllis with her head in the clouds." the Master smiled, and the old Doctor gritted his teeth. Eleanor began crying, and the Doctor watched her, his hearts breaking at the sight. Martha too was crying, as they both listened to the messages flooding in.

"Valiant, this is Geneva! We're getting slaughtered down here!"

Martha stood, leaving the Doctor and El.

"Help us, for God's sake! Help us, they're everywhere!"

"This is London, Valiant! This is London calling! What do we do?"

Eleanor began crying harder, and the Doctor reached for her hand again, which she took.

"They're killing us! The Toclafane are killing us!"

With a last look at the Time Lord's, Martha activated her teleporter. The Doctor and Jack exchanged a look before the Doctor turned to Saxon.

Martha arrived in a field overlooking the killing of London.

"I'm coming back." She promised, before running away.

The Master, Eleanor and the Doctor watched from the window and observed the destruction of Earth.

"And so it came to pass... that the human race fell and the Earth was no more. And I looked down upon my new dominion as master of all and I thought it... good." The Master said.

Eleanor and the Doctor looked helpless.

"And now Am, you have a choice. You can either spend your time locked in your room, and recieve no punishment. Or.. you can spend your time glued to your precious Doctor's side, but as well as forced regeneration, you will have a punishment daily." The Master told her.

"El. Stay in your room." The Doctor croaked. She smiled at him and shook her head.

"You're worth it. He can do whatever he wants to me, it won't make me love him." She said, and blew a kiss at the Doctor as the Master dragged her away.

"Stop! Don't you hurt her, bring her back right now!" The Doctor demaned, but from his wheelchair, he couldn't move.

"Forced regeneration, eh?" The Master asked, as he tied El to a medical bed by her wrists and ankles. She nodded.

"Brace yourself." He said, as he turned the microphone on. "This is just so your lover can hear you die." The Master smiled. "You see, I love you. But I need to train you up. And you made your choice, Amaryllis. Brace yourself." He waved and left the room.

As he pressed the button, radiation filled the room. Eleanor screamed and growled, struggling against the bonds. She felt the radiation enter her body, corrupting her lungs and entering her blood stream. She made blood curdling sounds and emitted pulse racing screams. The Doctor's body wracked with sobs as Lucy watched on, also listening, biting her thumb nervously.

"Enough! It's about to happen!" She screamed.

The Master turned the radiation off, and quickly entered the room, undid the binds and left the room. He winced as he heard her scream again, and saw the golden regeneration light show through the gaps in the door.

Eleanor woke in her new body, feeling weak.

Radiation is a nasty way to die.


	22. Doctor

Eleanor, now with deep brown hair and bright green eyes, deftly called out for someone to help her. The Master rushed in, took a deep breath as he took in her appearance, and quickly untied the bands keeping her wrists tied to the medical bed. She sat up, her head pounding and her thoughts hazy.

"Doctor?" She asked, squinting. The Master's heart pounded and raced as he saw the adoration in her gaze. He had to face the facts.

"No." He said. He sighed as the adoration evaporated, leaving a hostile and unfriendly Eleanor looking up at him.

"Take me to him." She demanded, her voice harsh and unloving. A new Eleanor indeed.

He nodded, and tried to lead her away from her christened torture chamber. When he didn't hear her footsteps following, he turned around, noticing that she was faint on her feet. He linked his arm through hers, and helped her to walk. He wasn't that cruel... He really wasn't.

They soon reached the old and wizened Doctor, and he gasped as he took in her hard face, but delicate and elegant appearance. As soon as she saw him, her steely gaze melted and she rushed over, intent on comforting the man.

"Oh, God. I am so glad you're alive." The man muttered, nestling his lined face into her neck.

She laughed at the back of her throat, and leaned back, wanting to make sure the Master wasn't planning on doing anything dangerous.

"Are you all right?" The Doctor asked, worried. She nodded.

"I don't trust myself right now. I'm on the edge of killing him and being peaceful." She whispered. The Doctor nodded, and gripped her hand, trying to control her.

A couple of months passed, and Eleanor became used to her body, and the torture's increased in pain as the Master realised that Amaryllis no longer cared for him.

He had turned bitter, and upon seeing just how much Eleanor still loved the Doctor, despite his old body, he became more hateful to his former best friend.

"You want to save her, don't you?" The Master demanded, as he and the Doctor prepared for war. "You've seen pictures of her, and you want her, don't you?"

"No... I-" The Doctor started.

"You may think that she's abandoned me, but she had no choice! If she could leave now, she would come right back to me." The Master hissed. The Doctor tried to placate the man, but he simply nodded.

The Master jumped as two pairs of hands rested upon his shoulders.

"We need to talk." A stern man said.

Eleanor sat in a conference room, handcuffed to a table (where she spent the majority of her time). She grimaced as the Master and Lucy waltzed into the room, and the stupid man began singing to the Scissor Sisters.

"Citizens rejoice. Your lord and master stands on high playing Track 3."

He walked further into the room and slid to Lucy, who was wearing a deep red gown. He kissed Lucy, and again, his eyes were glued on Eleanor the whole time. He was trying to make her jealous.

The Master sat on a chair across from Eleanor, and span as Martha's mother, Francine, brought tea for him.

Eleanor's eyes furrowed at this, and she gave Francine an apologetic look.

He ran up to the bridge and rang an old fashioned bell, to which Eleanor grimaced yet again. The Doctor crawled out of a tent with straw on the floor. There was a water bowl next to it, (The twelth bowl to be precise, Eleanor had smashed the other eleven), which read 'DOG.'

The Master walked down to the Doctor and forced him into a wheelchair.

"I can't decide whether you should live or die though you'll probably go to Heaven. Please don't hang your head and cry. No wonder why my heart feels dead inside. It's cold and hard and petrified. Lock the doors and close the blinds, we're goin' for a ride.." The Master sang.

"It's ready to rise, Doctor, Am. The new Time Lord Empire. It's good isn't it? Isn't it good? Anything? NO? Anything?" The Master asked, waving his hand in front of the Doctor's face, to no avail. "Oh, but they broke your hearts, didn't they? Those Toclafane, ever since you worked out what they really are. They say Martha Jones... has come back home. Now why would she do that?" The Master demanded.

"Leave her alone!" Eleanor shouted, straining against the handcuffs. They were excellent quality.

The Master sent a shooting look her way, to which she sent back.

"But he said something to her. Didn't you, Doctor? On the day I took control. What did you tell her?"

"I have one thing to say to you. You know what it is." The Doctor said.

"Oh, no you don't!" The Master exclaimed, pushing the Doctor in his wheelchair until he hit a wall.

"Come on, people! What are we doing? Launch day in 24 hours!" The Master clapped.

The Doctor pressed three fingers against hos thigh, signalling to El. She nodded swiftly. When Francine walked past with the tea, she scratched her cheek, and did the same sign. Francine walked by and out into a corridor and passed Clive, Martha's father. She also held up three fingers. Tish, also a maid like her mother, passed Clive, and he did the three fingers. Tish nodded deftly and approached a gated area, the guard let her in.

"Morning, Tish." Jack said, cheerfully. His wrists were tied by chains to the wall on either side. "Ah, smell that sea air. Makes me long for good old fish and chips." Jack laughed. "Yeah. What do I get? Cold mashed swede. Some hotel. Last time I book over the internet."

Tish fed him spoonfulls of the food, and pressed three fingers against the tray where Jack could see. He winked.

The clock on the bridge of the Valiant read 14:58. The Doctor looked over at El, who smiled gently. He then looked over at Francine and Tish. Jack began to pull at his chains. El began to turn to Amaryllis, she had gotten better at it. With her Warrior strength, she pulled at the handcuffs and they broke, with an inaudible snap. She quickly turned back to El, and nodded at the Doctor.

The Master walked into the room followed by Lucy.

"Time for my massage, who shall I have today? Tanya. Come on, sweetheart. Lucy, have you met Tanya? She's gorgeous." The Master said, taking his jacket off and throwing it on a table. "Tanya, when we get to the stars, I'm gonna take you to Katria Nova. Whirlpools of gold."

The bolts holding Jack to the wall slowly pulled out of the wall as he strained against them.

"You two should get to know each other. That might be fun." The Master said, as Tanya began massaging his shoulders.

Jack groaned as he pulled the chains free. He then pulled a steam hose and turned it on a guard. At the same time, Clive threw water on exposed wiring, starting a fire. Eleanor leaped from her chair and grabbed Lucy, getting her in a headlock and once again letting her eyes flash purple.

"Condition red!" The PA shouted.

"What the hell?" The Master asked.

"Stay right there!" Eleanor exclaimed. "Or God knows what I'll do to her." She was lying. As if she would.

Francine grabbed the Master's jacket and threw it to Tish who handed it to the Doctor. He took out the laser screwdriver and aimed it at the Master.

"Oh, I see." He said, putting his hands up.

"I told you, I have one thing to say." The Doctor said. But the screwdriver wouldn't work. The Master laughed.

Clive was caught and armed guards stopped Jack. "Oh, here we go again." He said, and braced himself against the bullets that were shot at him.

"Isomorphic controls." The Master said, taking the laser back from the Doctor. He then backhanded him and sent him to the floor, ignoring Eleanor's angry 'harumph.' "Which means they only work for me. Like this." He said, shooting the wall behind Francine. "Let Lucy go." He told Eleanor, pointing the laser at Francine again. Eleanor immediately let Lucy go, who whimpered and ran back to the Master. "Say sorry!" He shouted at Francine.

"Sorry. Sorry. Sorry!" The woman shouted.

"Mum!" Tish shouted, running to her. Eleanor rushed directly to the Doctor.

"Didn't you learn anything from the blessed Saint Martha?" The Master demanded. "Siding with the Doctor is a very dangerous thing to do. Take them away." The Master instructed. The Doctor eyes' widened as not only were Martha's family taken away, but the Master himself strutted over and grabbed El's arm.

"Okay. Gotcha." The Master said, handcuffing El to the table once more. He then walked to the Doctor and helped him into his chair. "There you go, Gramps. Oh, do you know, I remember the days when the Doctor, oh that famous Doctor, was waging a time war. Battling Sea Devils and Axons. He sealed the rift at the Medusa Cascade single handed. And then he fell in love. Look at him now. Stealing screwdrivers." The Master smirked.

"I just need you to listen." The Doctor pleaded, breathing heavily.

"No, it's my turn. Revenge! Best served hot. And this time... It's a message for Miss Jones." The Master said.

"What is it?" The Master asked Amaryllis' parents.

"We've sent her to Earth. She will not die in this war." Her father shouted, passionate about his daughter's safety.

"Did you use the Chameleon Arch?" The Master asked, and grimaced as her mother nodded. "I can't believe this. I'll never see her again." His voice broke.

"Hope is not lost. We may still win this war." Am's father added, patting the young Time Lord on the shoulder. "Do not give up hope, we're certainly not."

The Master rushed away from the parents, ignoring their frantic calls after him. He ignored the Doctor's astounded look as he flew past. She was human. His beloved Amaryllis was human.

Eleanor, still handcuffed to the bridge, looked at the tiny and elf like Doctor in a large bird cage. His eyes were wide and staring, and he sat, miniature, defeated in his cage. Demeaning. Eleanor was enraged.

"Does it scare you? To see me like this?" The Doctor croaked, looking up and meeting her gaze. El shook her head, smiling softly.

"As if you would scare me." She replied. "I love you more than my life. I would give it all for you."

"Don't." He said. "If it comes down to it, you leave me and save yourself." He begged. She shook her head.

"As if I could live in a world without you. My Doctor." She said.

This version of Eleanor was tougher, less emotional. But she was highly emotional when it came to her love. She would kill a thousand men for him, something she would never have done as her previous self. She was tough, passionate and stable. She liked this version of her.

"How touching." The Master said, walking into the room with a somewhat timid Lucy. "Tomorrow, they launch. We're opening up a rift in the Braccatolian space. They won't see us coming. Kinda scary."

"Then stop." Eleanor demanded.

"Once the empire is established and there's a new Gallifrey in the heavens, maybe then.. it stops. The drumming. The never ending drum beat. Ever since I was a child, I looked into the vortex. That's when it chose me. The drumming, the call to war. Can't you hear it? Listen, it's there now. Right now. Tell me you can hear it, Doctor. Tell me, Am." He begged.

"It's only you." The Doctor replied.

"Good." The Master retorted. The door opened and a Toclafane entered.

"Tomorrow, thw war. Tomorrow we rise. Never to fall." It said.

"You see? I'm doing it for them! You should be grateful! After all, you love them. So very, very much." The Master smirked.

"I took Lucy to Utopia. A Time Lord and his human companion. I took her to see the stars. Isn't that right, sweetheart?" The Master asked.

"Trillions of years into the future. To the end of the universe." Lucy breathed.

"Tell them what you saw."

"Dying. Everything dying. The whole of creation was falling apart. And I thought... there's no point. No point to anything. Not ever." Lucy moaned.

"Well, you're wrong." Eleanor told her.

"Ah, Amaryllis. How I would love to kill you. Oh, but I'd miss you. I would miss you terribly, my angel." The Master breathed. Eleanor grimaced. "Stop with the face!" He screamed. El didn't even flinch.

"Oh, this new you. So tough. But would you be so tough in the face of death?" He asked. She shrugged. "Moving on." The Master said brightly. "All that human invention that had sustained them across the eons. It all turned inwards. They cannibalised themselves."

"We made ourselves so pretty." The Toclafane said.

"Regressing into children. But it didn't work. The universe was collapsing around them."

"But then the Master came with his wonderful time machine to bring us back home."

"My masterpiece, Doctor. Eleanor. A living TARDIS, strong enough to hold the paradox in place, allowing the past and the future to collide in infinite majesty." The Master said.

"But you're changing history." Eleanor insisted.

"Not just Earth, the entire universe." The Doctor finished.

"Aw, you even finish your sentences. Cute." The Master sneered. "But I'm Time Lord. I have that right."

"But even then, why come all this way just to destroy?" The Doctor asked.

"You stole Amaryllis from me, our friendship ended. The Time War ended everything. I never saw you again, you didn't see just how MAD you made me!" The Master shouted. "So, this is my revenge. You love El, you love humans. I destroy humans then I destroy El. Because you're right. She's not Amaryllis." The Master said.

"No. She's so much better." The Doctor told him. The Master looked down, clearly agreeing.

"Human race. Greatest monster of them all.. Night night." The Master said, undoing El's handcuff only to reattach it on the Doctor's cage. He left, his arm around Lucy, the Toclafane following.

"God, I love you." Eleanor told him. He smiled. She poked her finger into the cage, and he gripped it with his tiny hand.

Eleanor, still cuffed to the Doctor's cage, sighed when she saw the Master walking in. Amongst him, she was glad to see, was Captain Jack, as well as Martha's family. He hadn't killed them. Thank God.

"Citizens of Earth, rejoice and observe." The Master said. The door to the room opened and two guards escorted Martha in. Eleanor grinned, as did she when she saw the Doctor. Of course, she didn't realise who Eleanor was, until she waved. Her eyes grew wide. It was El.

Jack moved to stand with Martha, but the guards stopped him.

"Your teleport device, in case you thought I'd forgotten." The Master said. Martha reached into her pocket and threw the vortex manipulator at him. "And now... kneel." He demanded, and she did so. "Down below, the fleet is ready to launch. Two hundred thousand ships set to burn across the universe." He walked to the comm link. "Are we ready?"

"The fleet awaits your signal. Rejoice!" The man on the link replied joyfully.

"Three minutes to align the black hole converters. Counting down!" He exclaimed, as the clock on the wall counted down seconds. "I never could resist a ticking clock. My children, are you ready?"

Billions of Toclafane waited above Earth.

"We will fly and blaze and slice! We will fly and blaze and slice!" The Spheres cheered.

"At zero, to mark this day, the child and the Time Lady, Martha Jones and Eleanor Thorn, will die." The Master said, and a guard undid the handcuff on the cage and roughly dragged her to where Martha was knelt down. She copied. "You see, I adore you. But there's only so much of your insolence I can take." He spat. She hissed. "Ha, my first blood. Any last words? No?" He asked.

He looked at the Doctor.

"Such a disappointment, these. Days of old, Doctor, you had companions who could absorb the time vortex."

"I did actually." Eleanor said nonchalantly. He glared down at her. "That was you?" He asked, and she nodded. He shrugged.

"Bow your heads. And so it falls to me, Master of all, to establish from this day, a new order of Time Lords! From this day forward-" The Master said, and Martha chuckled. Eleanor grinned. "What's so funny?"

"A gun?" Martha asked. Eleanor stood and walked back to the Doctor, nonplussed. The Master had waved the guards off. He was intrigued by Martha.

"What about it?" The Master asked.

"A gun in four parts?" Eleanor chuckled, the Master's eyes flashed to her.

"Yes, and I destroyed it." The Master insisted.

"A gun in four parts scattered across the world? I mean, come on. Did you really believe that?" Martha asked.

"What do you mean?"

"As if I would ask her to kill." The Doctor said.

"Oh well, it doesn't matter. I've got her exactly where I want her. And Eleanor is next." He promised. El shrugged.

"But I knew what Professor Docherty would do. The Resistance knew about her son." Martha informed the Time Lord. "That's why I came to find you. Know your enemy. I told her about the gun, so she'd get me here. At the right time." Martha said.

"Oh, but you're still gonna die!"

"Don't you wanna know what she was doing travelling the world?" El asked, one eyebrow raised. Of course the Doctor had told her. Did he think they were stupid?

"Tell me." The Master demanded.

"I told a story, that's all. No weapons, just words. I did just what the Doctor said. I went across the continents all on my own. And everywhere I went, I found the people, and I told them my story." Martha explained. The Master scoffed. "I told them about the Doctor and Eleanor. And I told them to pass it on. To spread the word so everyone would know about the Doctor."

"Faith and hope? Is that all?" The Master asked.

"No. Cause I gave them an instruction. Just as the Doctor said." Martha stood. "I told them that if everyone thinks of one word, at one specific time-"

"Nothing will happen! Is that your weapon? Prayer?"

"Let her finish!" El roared.

"Right across the world. One word, just one thought, at one moment... but with 15 satellites!" Martha exclaimed.

"What?"

"The Archangel network." El and Jack said at the same time.

"A telepathic field binding the whole human race together, with all of them, every single person on Earth, thinking the same thing at the same time. And that word is Doctor." Martha grinned.

The countdown reached zero, and glowing rings surrounded the Doctor, who was growing.

"Stop it. No, no, no, you don't!" The Master shouted.

"Doctor." El said.

"Doctor." -Jack.

"Doctor." -Francine.

"Stop this right now! Stop it!"

"Doctor." -Lucy!

"Doctor!" -Eleanor.

"Doctor." -Jack.

"Doctor." -Martha.

The Doctor broke from the cage.

"El and I have had a whole year to tune me into the psychic network and integrate with its matrices. Big mistake letting me spend a year with El!" He said, and clicked his tongue and winked at the grinning Time Lady.

"I order you to stop!" 


	23. The Year That Never Was

"The one thing you can't do." The Doctor said.

"Stop them thinking." Eleanor finished, smiling up as the Doctor used the telepathic field to levitate. "Tell me the human race is degenerate now when they can do this." She said, gesturing to him.

Martha sprinted to her parents and sister and enveloped them in hugs.

"No!" The Master shouted, firing his laser at the Doctor, who then deflected it.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." The Doctor said.

"Then I'll kill her!" The Master shouted, pointing the laser at El, who rolled her eyes. The Doctor threw it across the room telekinetically. The Master panicked. "You can't do this! It's not fair!"

"Not fair? Slaughtering the human race isn't fair!" Eleanor shouted, her rage finally pouring out. "Forcing me into regeneration isn't fair. Turning the Doctor into an old man isn't fair. Keeping Martha's family hostage isn't fair. Chaining Jack to a wall isn't fair. Nothing you did was fair!" She screamed, loving how the Master flinched with each word.

"And you know what happens now." The Doctor agreed.

"No!" The Master shouted as the Doctor floated to the Master, who backed up onto the stairs. "No! No! No!" He groveled.

"You wouldn't listen. You tortured my soul mate." The Doctor added.

"No!" the Master shouted.

"Because you know what I'm going to say." The Doctor said.

"No!" He curled into a foetal position.

The Doctor landed and wrapped his arms around the whimpering Time Lord.

"I forgive you."

"My children!" The Master shouted.

"Jack! The paradox machine!" Eleanor shouted.

"You men! With me! You stay here!" Jack shouted.

The Master suddenly leaped out of the Doctor's arms and grabbed Eleanor's arm, and activated the vortex manipulator. Luckily, the Doctor touched her hand, causing them all to disappear.

They landed on a rocky cliff.

"Now it ends, Doctor. Amaryllis. Now it ends." The Master said, spreading his arms wide as thunder rolled.

"We've got control of the Valiant." The Doctor said. "You can't launch."

"Oh, but I've got this." He said, holding up a small device. "Black hole converter inside every ship. If I can't have this world, Doctor, then neither can you. We shall stand upon this Earth, all three of us, as it burns!" The mad man exclaimed.

"Weapon after weapon after weapon. Koschei, what happened to you?" Eleanor asked. The Master's eyes softened. He placed his hand on her cheek.

"Am." He whispered. "You happened."

The Master, watching Gallifrey burn, also watched Earth lovingly. He wanted to see Amaryllis.

"I'm going to Earth." The Master told the Doctor, who looked distraught at the concept.

"No." He said ."You're not doing all that just to see Amaryllis." He said.

"I am." The Master promised.

"Then I'm coming with you." The Doctor promised back.

The Doctor did indeed go with the Master, but not as a human like the Master had done. Pretty much the same day as they landed, they ran into Amaryllis, then being an Egyptian lady.

The Doctor recognised her immediately, and felt the strange pull that he had done previously. They were soul mates. That's when he first realised that he was in love with his best friends lover.

The Master, now being an Egyptian boy, was remembering Amaryllis, in his own way. He watched as the Doctor, some unknown man to him, flirted with her and laughed and joked. His blood boiled.

He cursed as Amaryllis turned him down, when she said she was in love with another. But of course, Eleanor didn't remember that. The Doctor and the Master however, remembered all of it.

And how the Master wanted revenge for the Doctor stealing his love. Their love burned.

"After all these years, you found her every time, didn't you?" The Master asked. The Doctor, not wanting El to know this, nodded.

"What?" El asked.

"In every life of yours, I somehow met you. It's not that I went looking, we just seemed to gravitate towards each other." The Doctor explained.

"And you didn't think of telling me this?" She demanded.

"I-"

"Because I think it's lovely." Eleanor smiled, as did the Doctor. But they both turned serious and turned back to the Master, not wanting to anger him more. His head had dropped, all hope gone.

"After all of these years, and all these disasters, and meeting Eleanor, I've always had the greatest secret of them all. I know you. Explode those ships, you kill yourself. That's the one thing you can never do." The Doctor said, and he held out his hand. "Give that to me." The Master slapped the device into his hand.

The Doctor, Eleanor and the Master all fell to the ground and the Earth shook. They all fought for the vortex manipulator. Eleanor grabbed it first and programmed it to take them back to the Valiant.

They arrived just as the Toclafane were leaving, and the paradox destroyed. Martha was thrown backwards, only to be caught by the Doctor.

"Everyone down! Time reversing!" The Doctor exclaimed, and he grabbed Eleanor around the waist and pulled her over to the pair. They led face to face, laughing.

Meanwhile, Francine had spotted a gun on the floor, and she looked up at the Master who was clinging to railings as the ship shook.

"The paradox is broken." Eleanor said, standing up and checking the controls with the Doctor. "We've reverted back."

"One year and a day." The Doctor said. "Two minutes past 8 in the morning."

"Shouldn't you be back to normal El?" Martha asked. She shook her head.

"It was a fixed moment, and as much as time has been reversed, it's a whole body." She shrugged. "Besides, I prefer this Eleanor." She grinned.

"This is UNIT central. What's happened up there? We just saw the President assassinated!" A male voice said over the com.

"You see? Just after the President was killed, but just before the spheres arrived. Everything back to normal. Planet Earth restored. None of it happened. The rockets, the terror. Apart from on this ship, nothing happened." The Doctor said.

"What about the spheres?" Martha asked.

"Trapped at the end of the universe." The Doctor explained.

"But I remember it." Francine said.

"We're at the eye of the storm. The only one's who'll ever know." Eleanor said. She spotted Clive. "Hello! You must be Mr Jones!" She shook his hand, as did the Doctor.

The Master made for a break, but Jack stopped him.

"Whoa, big fella! You don't want to miss the party! Cuffs." Jack asked the guard. He cuffed the Master's hands behind his back, ."So, what do we do with this one?"

"We kill him." Clive said.

"We execute him." Tish said.

"No. That's not the solution." The Doctor said.

"This whole thing was my fault. We have to be nice." Eleanor.

"In no way was this your fault." The Doctor said fiercely.

"Eleanor." Eleanor looked up, surprised that the Master had actually used her name. "He's right."

Francine suddenly picked up the gun and aimed it at the Master. "All those things. They still happened because of him. You're both right, it's not El's fault. It's his. I saw them."

"Go on! Do it!" The Master shouted.

"Francine, you're better than him." The Doctor said, reaching out and taking her hand. She dropped the gun and turned to El, who wrapped her arms around her. She hugged her for a few seconds and then Martha reached for her.

"You still haven't answered the question. What happens to me?" The Master asked.

"You're our responsibility from now on. We're the only three Time Lords left in existance." The Doctor said.

"Yeah, but you can't trust him." Jack reasoned to El and the Doctor. Eleanor shrugged.

"The only safe place for him is in the TARDIS." Eleanor said.

"You mean you're just gonna... keep me?" The Master asked.

"Hmm. If that's what we have to do." The Doctor said.

A gunshot echoed through the conference room and everyone jumped and turned around. The Master staggered backwards, clutching his chest. A shaking Lucy was holding the gun. Jack snatched the gun from Lucy and the Doctor and El ran to the master.

"Put it down." Jack said.

"There you go. We've got you, we've got you." Eleanor cooed, as she and the Doctor lowered him to the floor.

"Always the women." The Master said, looking El directly in the eyes. She smiled.

"I didn't see her." The Doctor said.

"Dying in her arms." The Master sighed, content.

"You're not dying. Don't be stupid. It's just a human bullet. Regenerate." El instructed.

"Ha. No." He sneered.

"One little bullet. Come on, please." She begged.

"I guess you don't know me so well, Eleanor dearest. I refuse."

"Regenerate. Just regenerate. Please! Please! Just regenerate! Come on!" El stressed.

"And spend the rest of my life imprisoned with you? El.. You're already on my mind. I couldn't live seeing you with him." He whispered. She nodded.

"You've got to. Come on. It can't end like this." Eleanor begged.

"You and me, all the things we've done. Axons? Remember the Axons? And the Daleks? We're the only three left, there's no one else! Regenerate!" The Doctor shouted.

"Hows about that? I win." The Master sneered. "Will it stop, Eleanor, Doctor? The drumming. Will it stop?"

He died.

Eleanor pressed a shaking kiss to his dead lips. She then stood up and flung herself away from the man as the Doctor held him, shaking and crying and screaming is despair. Eleanor was shrieking, tormented shrieks, mourning the man she used to love.

That love was still somewhere in someone deep down. And she hadn't told him.

Eleanor, upon hearing the Doctor's cries, ran back over to him, and bundled him into her arms, away from his ex best friend. She rocked him, as if rocking a child, and cried alongside him. He clutched at her waist, his face buried in her chest, and she stroked his hair while the others looked on.

Eleanor and the Doctor both shakily lit the Master's funeral pyre. They watched as it burnt, the majestic fire biting into the dark night sky, before walking away, emotionless.

Eleanor, the Doctor, Jack and Martha stood at railings overlooking a bay.

"Time was, every single one of these people knew your name. Now they've all forgotten you." Martha said.

"Good." The Doctor replied.

"Back to work." Jack agreed.

"Come with us." Eleanor pleaded.

"I had plenty of time to think that past year, the Year That Never Was. And I kept thinking about that team of mine. Like you said, Doctor. They're different now, and they're my responsibility.

"Defending the Earth." The Doctor smiled.

"Can't argue with that." Eleanor grinned, and the Captain grabbed the new girl in a bone crushing hug, picking her up as he had before and spinning her round.

"By the way, I love the new look." He whispered, and she giggled before kissing his cheek. "See you around, my fellow annoying American." She said, referring to what the Doctor had called them both when they first met the Captain.

"You're not American anymore." He reminded her.

"Deep down." She winked.

Jack then turned to the Doctor, who reached out for a handshake. The Doctor exposed the manipulator as he did so.

"Hey, I need that!" Jack exclaimed.

"I can't have you walking around with a time travelling teleport." The Doctor reprimanded, and used the sonic on it. "You could go anywhere- twice. The second time to apologise."

Eleanor giggled.

"And what about me? Can you fix that? Will I ever be able to die?" Jack asked.

"Nothing we can do. You're an impossible thing Jack." The Doctor said. Jack laughed.

"Been called that before. Sir, Ma'am's." He saluted to them. "But I keep wondering... what about aging? 'Cause I can't die but I keep getting older. The odd little grey hair, you know? What happens if I live for a million years?"

"I really don't know." The Doctor said.

"Okay, vanity. Sorry. Yeah, can't help it. Used to be a poster boy when I was a kid back on the Boeshane Pennisula. Tiny little place. I was the first one ever to be signed up for the Time Agency. They were so proud of me. They Face of Boe they called me." He grinned. The Doctor and Martha looked shocked, but Eleanor was clueless. "Hmm, I'll see you." He ran across the plaza.

"Can't be." Martha said.

"No, definitely not." The Doctor agreed.

"What?" Eleanor asked, exasperated.

"Oh, nothing dear." The Doctor said, kissing her hair with an amused look on his face.

Eleanor and the Doctor were sat at the central column in the TARDIS. When Martha Jones walked in, they both poked their heads around the column.

"Right then!" The Doctor explained, standing up and pulling El up with him. "Off we go! The open road! There is a burst of star fire right now over the coast of Meta Sigmafolio. Oh, the sky is like oil on water. Fancy a look? Or... back in time. We could... I don't know. Charles II?" The Doctor asked.

"What about Agatha Christie? I'd love to meet Agatha Christie! I bet she's brilliant!" Eleanor exclaimed, and upon realising Martha wasn't smiling, both of their excited smiles faded.

"I just can't." Martha said.

"Do what's best for you." Eleanor agreed, feeling choked up. This girl had saved their lives.

"Yeah." The Doctor said.

"Spent all these years training to be a doctor. Now I've got people to look after. They saw the planet slaughtered and they're devastated. I can't leave them." Martha explained.

"Of course not." The Doctor smiled.

"Thank you, Martha Jones. You saved his life." Eleanor said, hugging the girl tightly. "And I know how you feel about him, and I'm sorry." She said. She kissed the girls cheek and stepped outside, giving the two some privacy.

"I'll see you again, mister." Martha said, as she walked out the TARDIS. "And you, Miss Thorn." She smiled, Eleanor grinned back and sadly walked into the TARDIS, where the Doctor was waiting for her.

Eleanor, like always, sat with her legs dangling out the TARDIS, watching the nebula's whizz past. The Doctor joined her, sighing as he sat down.

"That was odd." He said, pouring her some red wine. She nodded.

"I wanted to kill him." She confided. He nodded soberly.

"I know you did." He said, wrapping his arm around her waist and nestling his face into her deep brown hair and inhaling her sweet vanilla scent. "I know."

"The way he treated you, it sickened me." She explained. He breathed out heavily, almost sounding as if her scent made him moan.

"It doesn't matter anymore." He assured her, trailing hot kisses down her neck. She leaned back a little.

"I know." She agreed, and wound her arms around her neck and brought his wet mouth up to hers.

He tasted of cinnamon and spices and of deep vanilla and infinity.

Hello! Jeeze writing that was emotional! Poor Master.. Is it just me who feels sorry for him at the end? Yeah.. Okay.

Please review/comment/whatever you want to do.

And I apologize but I'm leaving out the Christmas special's from now on because I prefer the series. If you really really want me to do one though, you have to beg me. ;-)

I'm kidding, just let me know what you want me to do and I'll fit it in somewhere.

But El's going to visit Nine next I think, we haven't seen him for a while.

And I don't really know if Eleanor would have changed back into her blonde self when time reversed, but I like the fesity El. :D

-Fay x 


	24. Peter Alan Tyler

All of you who want to know when the wedding is, you're going to have to wait. I have a sneaky plan ;-)

-Fay x

"I just need time to myself." I told the Doctor, feeling guilty that I was leaving him on his own when Martha had just left. "I need to see Scarlet and make sure she's okay. I'll see you soon." I promised. He smiled gently. He understood.

He kissed me deeply, but pulled away all to soon. "I love you." He told me.

"I love you too." I grinned, waving as he left in his blue box.

"I was thinking... could we? Could we go and see my dad when he was still alive?" A familiar voice said, and I turned around. I became wide eyed as Rose and Nine walked past me, completely ignoring me. I rushed after them.

"Oi!" I stressed, but they simply gave me a strange look. "Doctor, why are you ignoring me?" I demanded. He stopped and looked at me, really looked at me, in the eyes.

"Oh, alright Eleanor." He said meekly, and I rolled my eyes. Rose looked shocked.

"This is El?" She asked. I nodded, grinning. "Now who are we going to see?"

"Peter Alan Tyler. My dad. The most wonderful man in the world. Born 15th of September 1954." Rose told us once we had walked into the TARDIS.

"Where's this come from all of a sudden?" The Doctor asked.

"All right then, if we can't, if it goes against the laws of times or something, then never mind, we'll just leave it." Rose said, looking disappointed.

"We can do anything." I assured the girl.

"We're just more worried about you." The Doctor added.

"Wow, you really do like to finish each other's sentences." Rose shrugged. "I wanna see him."

"Your wish is my command." The Doctor said.

"But be careful what you wish for." I added.

"Hold on, El. Why have you got an engagement ring on? Who are you engaged to?" Rose asked, grabbing the girls left hand and smiling at the ornate ring.

"Is that... Is that what I think it is?" The Doctor asked, pointing to the black ruby of Kaitchai on my engagement ring.

"No... And I'm not engaged. It's just a ring I found in London, I thought it was nice." I rushed, feeling bad about lying. But he couldn't know we were engaged, it would ruin the surprise for him! Plus, we may have kissed a few times while he was Nine, but we weren't actually a couple. I didn't want to get ahead of ourselves.

3RD PERSON

The Doctor, Eleanor and Rose sat at the back of the small crowd of people watching the wedding of Jackie and Pete.

"I, Peter Alan Tyler, take you, Jacqueline Angela Suzette Prentiss..." The registrar coaxed.

"I, Peter Alan Tyler, take you, Jacqueline Suzanne... Suzette... Anita..." Pete trailed off, getting it wrong. Jackie narrowed her eyes at the man.

"Oh, just carry on. It's good enough for Lady Di." Jackie glared.

Eleanor grinned, as did the Doctor, who looked down at a serious Rose.

"I thought he'd be taller." Rose told them.

"...to be my lawful wedded wife, to love and behold til death us do part."

Rose Tyler was a little girl again, sitting on the end of her mum's bed, marvelling at the stories she was told about her brave and wonderful father.

"He died to close to home. I wasn't there. Nobody was. It was a hit and run driver. Never found out who. He was dead when the ambulance got there." Jackie said.

Rose looked up sadly.

"I only wish there'd been someone there for him."

"I wanna be that someone. So he doesn't die alone." Rose explained, a tear dripping down her face as she looked at the concerned Time Lords.

"November the 7th?" The Doctor asked.

"1987." Rose confirmed.

The Doctor started the engines, and Eleanor tapped in coordinates. Rose watched apprehensively. When the TARDIS stopped, she looked nervously at the door.

On November 7th, 1987, it was a quiet and average day. No rain, no clouds, not hot, not cold. Average.

"That's so weird. The day my father died... I thought it'd be all sort of grim and stormy, it's just an ordinary day." Rose said.

"The past is another country. 1987's just the Isle of Wight. Are you sure about this?" The Doctor asked.

"Yeah." Rose assured him.

They walked to the Powell Estate, where Rose had lived for her entire life. They stood on the curb of the pavement, waiting for the inevitable car to knock Pete Tyler down.

"This is it. Jordan Road. He was late. He'd been to get a wedding present- a vase. Mum always said, that stupid vase." Rose said. She was choked up on tears.

A car turned around the corner. Eleanor bit her lip.

"He got out of his car..."

The car pulled over.

"And cross the road..."

"Oh, God. This is it."

Both El and the Doctor grabbed a hand at either side, and watched grimly at the scene that unfurled before their eyes.

Pete Tyler, oblivious to his death in store, picked up the vase from the passenger seat. He stepped out of the car, unaware of the speeding car zooming around the corner of the street. His eyes widened in shock as the car sped towards him. The driver put his arm in front of his eyes and BANG. Pete Tyler was on the ground, the driver speeding off again.

Rose hid her head on the Doctor's shoulder. The vase fell to the floor and smashed. El, being the new El, didn't even flinch. She had been made in war.

Rose lifted her head and looked at her dying father who was lying, twitching, on the ground.

"Go to him. Quick." Eleanor told her, pulling her forward a tiny bit.

Rose couldn't move.

The three leaned against a brick wall, Rose with tears running down her face. The ambulance soon pulled up.

"It's too late now." Rose sobbed. The Doctor and El looked at each other.

"By the time the ambulance got there, he was dead." She cried, her voice breaking. El looked away, as did the Doctor.

"He can't die on his own." Rose pleaded. Eleanor looked at her. "Can I try again?"

El, the Doctor, and Rose stood out of sight, watching their past selves standing at the curb.

"Right. That's the first of us. It's a very bad idea, two sets of us being here at the same time." The Doctor warned.

"Be careful that they don't see us. Wait until you run off, and then quickly go to your dad." El instructed.

For the second time, Pete pulled up in his car.

"Oh, God. This is it." The past Rose said.

"I can't do this." Present Rose said.

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to. This is the last time we can be here." Eleanor explained, squeezing the girls hand.

Rose stared at her father getting out of the car, and breathing heavily, she sprinted over.

"Rose! No!" The Doctor and El shouted.

Rose ran past the past set of them and knocked her father out of the way before he could be knocked down. The first set of the group looked shocked for a second, before disappearing.

The Doctor and El watched in stunned silence.

Rise stared at her dad as he got to his feet.

"I did it! I saved your life!" Rose exclaimed happily.

"Blimey, did you see the speed of it? Did you get his number?" Pete asked, breathing heavily with wide eyes.

"I really did it. Oh, my God. Look at you! You're alive! That car was gonna kill ya!" Rose exclaimed.

"Well, give me some credit, I did see it coming. I wasn't gonna walk under it, was I?" Pete asked.

"I'm Rose." She said, waiting expectantly for something that she didn't get.

"That's a coincidence. That's my daughter's name." Pete shrugged.

"That's a great name. Good choice, well done." Rose grinned.

Rose stared at her dad with a big smile on her face for a few seconds. He looked as if he didn't know what to say next.

"Right, I'd better shift. I've got a wedding to go to." He said.

"Is that Sarah Clarke's wedding?" Rose asked.

"Yeah, are you going?"

"...Yeah."

"You and your boyfriend and... sister? Do you need a lift?" Pete asked, glancing at the Doctor and Eleanor. Rose turned and saw them watching darkly from the corner.

"Oh.. he's not my boyfriend. And she's not my sister. They're friends. But yeah." She nodded vigorously.

They entered the Tyler's flat. Pete put the vase down next to the door.

"There we go. Sorry about the mess. If you want a cup of tea, the kitchen's just down there, milk's in the fridge. Well... it would be, wouldn't it? Where else would you put the milk? Mind you, there's always the window sill outside. I always thought if someone invented a window sill with special compartments, you know, one for milk, one for yogurt... make a lot of money out of that." Pete rambled nervously.

Rose couldn't tear her eyes away from him. She smiled in delight. Eleanor nodded politely behind her, the Doctor simply glared.

"Sell it to students and things... I should write that down. Anyway, never mind that, excuse me..."

He pushed past them and went through another door. Rose turned around and looked around the room.

"All the stuff mum kept. His stuff. She kept it all packed away in boxes in the cupboard, she used to show me when she'd had a bit to drink. Here it is. On display. Where it should be." Rose smiled. Eleanor looked around with her, not entirely happy, but not prepared to condemn the girl for saving her father. The Doctor however, was leaning against a door, his arms crossed, glaring at Rose.

Rose picked up a trophy and showed El. "Third prize at the bowling... first two go to go to Didcot." She explained, grinning. She looked at it for a few more seconds then put it back down. She followed El's eye line down to a stash of bottles in the corner of the room. She bent down and picked one up. "Health drinks. Tonics, mum used to call them. He made his money selling this Vitex stuff. He had all sorts of jobs. He's so clever." Rose marvelled.

The Doctor or Eleanor didn't say anything still. Rose looked around and spotted plans on the table.

"Solar power. Mum said he was gonna do this. Now he can." Rose smiled, looking up at the Doctor. He didn't smile back. "Okay, look... I'll tell him that you two are in a relationship.. or whatever it is that you're in." She shrugged.

"When we met, I said 'travel with me in space.' You said no. Then I said 'time machine.'" The Doctor said suspiciously, and Eleanor nodded along, agreeing.

"It wasn't some big plan. I just saw it happening and I thought... I can stop it." Rose replied.

"I did it again. I picked another STUPID ape. I should've known. It's not about showing you the universe... it never is. It's about the universe doing something for you." The Doctor complained.

"Doctor..." Eleanor tried to calm him down, but Rose was equally worked up.

"So it's okay when you two go to other times, and you two save peoples lives, but not when it's me saving my dad?" Rose demanded.

"It's different..." Eleanor tried, but the Doctor interrupted.

"We know what we're doing, you don't. Two sets of us being there made that a vulnerable point." The Doctor retorted.

"But he's alive!" Rose exclaimed.

"Rose.. We have a whole race that are dead. All my family, all his family. Our friends. They're gone. Why do you think we never saved them?" Eleanor sighed.

"But it's not like I've changed HISTORY. Not much. I mean... he's never gonna be a world leader, he's not gonna start World War Three or anything..." She defended. The Doctor took a few steps towards her.

"Rose, there's a man alive in the world who wasn't alive before. An ordinary man, that's the most important thing is creation. The whole world's different because he's alive." The Doctor explained harshly.

"What, would you rather him dead?" Rose demanded.

"We're not saying that-" Eleanor sighed, exasperated.

"No, I get it! For once, YOU TWO are not the most important people in my life." Rose exclaimed.

"Let's see how you get on without us, then. Give me the key." The Doctor demanded. Eleanor sighed.

He held his hand out and Rose stared at him.

"The TARDIS key. If we're so insignificant, give it me back."

"All right then, I will." Rose huffed, getting it out her pocket and slapping it into his hand.

"Well, you've got what you wanted so that's goodbye then." The Doctor said, linking his hand with Eleanor's and dragged her to the front door.

"You don't scare me." Rose said, unconvincingly.

She stood in front of them, between them and the door.

"I know how sad you two are. You'll be back in a minute. Or you'll hang around outside the TARDIS waiting for me." Rose exclaimed.

"Yep. We're the sad ones. We're the sad ones who have transport and a way of getting home. Enjoy." Eleanor said, snapping when Rose called them sad. Rose was fuming. She slammed the door behind them as they left and leaned against it, breathing heavily.

"Boyfriend trouble?" Pete asked. Rose didn't answer.

In the street, Eleanor still had hold of the Doctor's hand. He was fuming too. They stormed down the road.

They rounded a corner where the TARDIS was parked. The Doctor took the key out of his pocet and unlocked the door. He looked up at the sky as if he could sense something was wrong. He opened the doors to find the inside of the ship had disappeared. Just four small blue walls. An ordinary box. Eleanor shrieked in surprise and shock. The Doctor stepped inside and felt around the wall frantically. Eleanor realised before he did, and she took off running.

"Rose!" She shouted. The Doctor then realised and sprinted after her.

Pete was driving to the wedding with Rose in the passenger seat.

"I met this bloke at the Horse's, and he's cutting me in copyright." Pete said.

"But I thought you were a proper business man and that..." Rose said.

"I wish! Ah, I do a bit of this, a bit of that- A straight bloke." Pete shrugged.

"Right... So I must've heard wrong. So really you're a bit of a... a Del Boy?" Rose asked.

"Oh, shoot me down in flames. You're not related to my wife by any chance, are you?" He asked, shifting uncomfortably.

Rose put her hand over her mouth. "Oh, my God... She's gonna be at the wedding."

"What, Jackie, do you know her?"

"Sort of." She said, after a pause.

"What, she's told you about me then?"

"She said she picked the most fantastic man in the world." Rose smiled.

"Must be a different Jackie, then. She'd never say that." Pete told her.

"I'm just gonna check my messages." Rose said, reaching for her phone.

"How d'ya mean, messages? Is that a phone?" Pete asked, looking at the mobile.

"Yeah..."

She held the phone to her ear. "Watson- come here- we need you. Watson- come here- we need you. Watson- come here- we need you."

Rose looked in confusion and glanced at her dad, who also looked puzzled.

A young Mickey Smith ran into the church, worried that the aliens were going to eat them all up. Rose watched him. Behind her, the Doctor and Eleanor sprinted over.

"Rose!" The Doctor shouted.

Rose turned around, satisfied, and smirked.

"Get in the church!" Eleanor cried. Upon hearing the urgency in her voice, Rose's smile faded quickly. She knew this Eleanor enough to know that the girl didn't scare easy anymore.

The Doctor looked to her left, and Rose followed his gaze. Before her, a reaper appeared. A gigantic bat like alien. She screamed. The Doctor knocked her down before the reaper could consume her and they both fell to the floor. Eleanor quickly helped them up.

"Get in the church!" El repeated. The crowd, in a rush, ran for the door, but were stopped when another reaper appeared before them.

"Oh, my God. What are they?" Suzie asked. The guests in the church came outside to see what the commotion was. Some screamed when they saw.

"Inside!" The Doctor shoutd.

The reaper flew down to them, the people in the church tried to run away from the building.

"Stay inside, it's safer in there, trust me!" El promised, pushing people back in.

Stuart, the bride groom, stopped trying to run away. His father, however, didn't listen to El's advice and continued running. A reaper swooped down and covered his body with its ginormous wings. Sarah, the bride, was horrified and tried running into the church. The reaper tried to get her too, and she screamed. The reaper decided to go for the priest behind her instead. The Doctor and Eleanor ushered the congregation back into the church.

The reaper tried to get into the church but the duo shut the doors just in time. The reaper let out a horrible scream.

Inside, the guests were breathing heavily and babbling in panic. The Doctor looked around at the shadows of the reapers playing on the windows.

"They can't get in. Old windows and doors, okay. The older something is, the stronger it is. What else?" The Doctor asked. The reaper screamed again.

"Go and check the other doors!" The Doctor instructed. Eleanor went to check on a door and Jackie Tyler, with baby Rose in a basket, rushed over to her.

"What's happening? What are they?" The woman demanded, grabbing her arm. The Doctor walked up behind them.

"There's been an accident in time. A wound in time. They're like bacteria. Taking what they can." Eleanor explained.

"What do you mean, time? What're you jabbering on about, time?" Jackie demanded.

"Oh, I might've known you'd argue. Jackie, I'm sick of you complaining-" The Doctor moaned, and El smiled.

"How d'you know my name?" Jackie demanded, turning around and facing the man.

"I haven't got time for this-"

"I've never met you in my life!"

"No, and you never will unless we sort this out." Eleanor said urgently.

"Now, if you don't mind- I've waited a long time to say this- Jackie Tyler, do as I say. Go. And. Check. The. Doors."

He pointed in the direction of the doors, and Jackie stared at him.

"Yes, sir." She whimpered, and rushed off. The Doctor grinned.

"Score." Eleanor muttered.

Stuart suddenly walked over.

"I should've done that ages ago." The Doctor grinned to El.

"My dad was out there." Stuart said. Eleanor and the Doctor's faces turned grave.

"You can mourn him later." Eleanor assured him, placing a comforting hand on his arm for a second. "But right now, we have to focus on staying alive. Focus on Sarah. Focus on keeping her alive."

"My dad had-" Stuart said.

"There's NOTHING we can do for him." The Doctor said.

"What did he have?" El asked.

"He had this phone thing. I can't get it to work. I keep getting this voice..." Stuart, handing the phone to El, who dialled her own number and put the phone on speaker.

"Watson- Come here- We need you. Watson- Come here- We need you."

Eleanor grinned in delight. "That's Alexander Graham Bell!"

"The first ever phone call." The Doctor added. Eleanor hung up and passed the phone back to Stuart.

"I don't think that's going to be helpful." Eleanor told him apologetically.

The Doctor rushed off to fix more doors and make sure they were shut.

"Someone must call the police." Stuart said to El.

"The police can't help us now. No one can." El said sadly. Rose watched her explain that, along with the other guests.

The Doctor walked back into the room. "Nothing in this universe can harm those things. Time's been damaged and they've come to sterilise the wound."

Eleanor looked at Rose in the eyes.

"By consuming everything in sight." The Doctor finished.

"Is this because..." Rose started shakily. The Doctor looked at her, no longer angry. "Is this my fault?" She asked.

No answer. Just a look. Yes.

He walked past her, grabbing El's hand as he went, which Eleanor found weird because in this body, her and the Doctor had only kissed a couple of times.

Oh.

But then she remembered what the Master had said.

The Doctor had found her in every one of her lives. He already knew her, sort of. She smiled at that thought. She'd never been without her Doctor, even if she didn't fully remember it.

Pete looked from Rose to the Doctor and Eleanor, and back at his baby Rose. His brow furrowed.

The Doctor and Eleanor (Holding baby Rose, much to her amusement and Rose's embarrassment) walked into the church Anteroom, and saw Pete Tyler staring out the window in dismay. The car that was destined to hit Pete kept driving in out of thin air, tyres screeching. It rounded the corner as the driver threw his arm in front of his eyes as it disappeared. It continued in cycles.

"Was that a car?" Pete asked.

"It's not important. Don't worry about it." The Doctor said.

They left, the Doctor smirking as he turned around and saw Eleanor bouncing Rose and talking to her in a baby voice.

"No... You won't go and tear open the world will you? No you won't..."

The reapers were striking the window, trying desperately to get in. Rose sat alone at the altar, looking as if she'd been crying. Pete slowly walked over to her, hands in pockets,wanting to talk.

"These mates of yours... what do you mean, this is your fault?" He asked gruffly.

"Dunno... just... everything." The teary Rose said.

"I gave you my car keys." Pete said, as if not quite believing he had done thart.

Rose looked at him, her eyes red.

"You don't give your keys to a complete stranger." He continued. Rose watched him as he worked it out.

"Its... it's like I trusted you. Moment I met you, I just did. A wound in time..." He said, piecing the information together. Rose chewed her lip.

"You called me Dad. I can see it... my eyes... Jackie's attitude... you sound like her when you shout..." He mumbled. He reached out and touched her face tentatively. Rose closed her eyes, he dropped his hand but Rose grabbed it and held it back on her cheek.

"You are. You are.. You're my Rose. You're my Rose grown up." He said, his voice breaking. He threw his arms around her. Loosing her control, she began crying again.

"Dad... My Dad. My Daddy..." She cried. Eleanor watched, still holding the baby Rose after Jackie had let her do it. She smiled, missing her own family. The Doctor placed a hand on her shoulder, and she turned back and smiled.

A reaper head butted the door, desperate to get in.

The Doctor took off sprinting again, checking all possible exits. On his travels, he was approached by Stuart and Sarah.

"Excuse me! Mr..." Stuart began.

"Doctor."

"You seem to know what's going on." Stuart said.

"I give that impression, yeah." The Doctor agreed, checking the lock on the door.

"I just wanted to ask-"

"Can you save us?" Sarah asked.

The words grabbed the Doctor's attention. He turned, and put the sonic back in his pocket. He walked towards them, observing.

"Who are you two, then?"

"Stuart Hoskins."

"Sarah Clarke."

"And one extra. Boy or girl?" The Doctor asked, nodding towards Sarah's baby bump.

"I don't know. I don't want to know, really." Sarah smiled, running her hands over her unborn baby.

"How did this all get started?" The Doctor asked.

"Outside the Big Box Club. Two in the morning." Stuart smiled.

"Street corner. I'd lost my purse. Didn't have money for a taxi."

"I took her home." Stuart said proudly.

"Then what? Asked her for a date?" The Doctor asked.

"Wrote his number on the back of my hand." Sarah grinned.

"Never got rid of her since. My dad said-" Stuart smiled, but choked off at the end. Sarah's lip trembled.

"I don't know what this is all about. And I know WE'RE not important..." Sarah said, tearfully.

"Who said you're not important?" The Doctor demanded, shocked. "I've travelled to all sorts of places. Done things you couldn't even imagine. But.. you two. Street corner... Two in the morning. Getting a taxi home. I've never had a life like that." The Doctor told them.

"But you love her, don't you?" Sarah asked, looking confused and pointing to El.

"Yes. Very much so, yes." The Doctor agreed.

"She doesn't know?" Stuart asked.

"No, she doesn't." The Doctor said. "And I could never give her a life like that either. So, yes. I'll try and save you." He smiled. Sarah smiled through her tears. Before she could change her mind, the pregnant lady waddled over to where Eleanor was stood with Jackie, chatting away like they did in the future.

"Hello.. It's Eleanor isn't it?" Sarah asked. Eleanor turned and nodded.

"I just wanted to say... He's saving our lives, and so are you. So I want to save his... He loves you, that man does. I could see it in his eyes. He's worried that he could never give you a normal life. Go and comfort him. 'Cause I can see it in your eyes that you adore him too." She said kindly. Eleanor's smile dropped and immediately she walked over to the Doctor.

She walked over, hands by her sides, and stared at him in the eyes.

"What?" He asked. She shook her head.

"I love you. And I don't want a normal life." She said, simply.

She pinned his arms to his sides and leaned up, kissing him full on the mouth, the most passionate kiss she and this Doctor had had so far. To him, it felt like their first kiss.

In the background she heard Sarah laughing, and people cheering. She ignored it.

The Doctor forced his hands out of her grasp and caught her cheeks, tilting her head further up.

When he let her go, she nodded and turned, walking back to Jackie. Jackie was staring, wide eyed and open mouthed at the couple.

"That. Was. Nice." She complimented.

Rose, meanwhile, was sat with Pete.

"I'm a dad. I mean, I'm already a dad, but... Rose grows up, and she's you. That's wonderful. I suppose I thought that you'd be a bit- useless- what, with my useless genes and all, but..." Pete said. Rose laughed slightly. Pete looked as if fascinated by her.

"How did you get here?" Pete asked.

"Do you really wanna know?" Rose asked.

"Yeah!"

"A time machine." Rose told him.

"Time machine." A stunned Pete said.

"Cross my heart." Rose smiled.

"What, do they all have time machines where you come from?"

"Nah. Just El and the Doctor." She sighed.

"Did you know these things were coming?" Pete asked, gesturing to the Reapers.

"No."

"God, I dunno, my head's spinning. What's the future like?"

"It's not so different." Rose replied.

"What am I like? Have I gone grey?" Pete grinned, and laughed. Rose didn't answer, she just watched him. Pete's smile faded.

"Have I gone bald? Don't tell me I've gone bald?"

Rose still didn't answer. Pete cleared his throat.

"So. Um.. Have you got a bloke?" Pete asked.

"No, I did have-" Rose said. There were running footsteps and Jackie's voice rang through the church, followed by Eleanor's pealing laughter at who she saw.

"Mickey!"

Mickey ran up to Rose and threw his arms around her leg.

"That's priceless!" Rose heard Eleanor cry, and she also smiled.

"Do you know him?" Pete asked.

"I just didn't recognise him in a suit- you'll have to let go of me sweetheart..." She said.

Mickey ran over to Jackie and Eleanor, who had walked over.

"I'm always saying that..." Rose said under her breath, to which Eleanor grinned.

"He just grabs hold of what's passing and holds on for dear life. God help his poor girlfriend if he ever gets one." Jackie said, and El winked at Rose.

"Me and Rose were just talking..." Pete said.

"Oh, yeah? Talking? While the world comes to an end, what do you do? Cling to the youngest blonde." Jackie sneered. Eleanor looked uncomfortable. Rose looked upset.

"Come on, Mick." Jackie said, and she took his hand and led him away.

"Does he know?" Eleanor asked. Pete nodded.

"I do, yeah."

"You can't tell her." Rose said.

"Why?" Pete asked.

"I mean... I really don't want you to tell her." Rose amended.

"What, so you don't want people to know?"

"Where I come from, Jackie doesn't know how to work the timer on the video recorder." Rose explained.

"I showed her that last week." Pete grinned. Eleanor looked at him. His grin faded.

"Point taken." He nodded at Eleanor.

The Reapers continued to slam against the walls and windows of the church, screaming.

The Doctor and El continued talking to Rose in a baby voice.

"Rose... You're not going to do this a second time, are you? Are you?" The Doctor asked sternly. The baby looked up innocently. Grown up Rose joined them.

"Jackie gave her to El to look after a while ago. How times change." The Doctor said.

"I'd better be careful. I think I just imprinted myself on Mickey like a mother chicken." Rose said, still tearful.

She reached out to touch the baby but El grabbed her hand.

"Don't touch her." She reprimanded.

"You're both from the same person and that's a paradox, and we don't want a paradox happening. Not with these things outside. Anything new- any disturbance in time makes them stronger. The paradox might let them in." The Doctor expanded.

"Can't do anything right, can I?" Rose asked.

"Since you ask, no. So. Don't. Touch. The. Baby." The Doctor said sternly.

"I'm not stupid!" Rose retorted.

"You could've fooled me." The Doctor said, and El swatted his arm.

"All right. I'm sorry." He apologized. Rose looked at him.

"You know, Rose. He wouldn't have really left you on your own." Rose said.

"I know."

"But between you and me, I haven't got a plan. No idea." The Doctor added.

"No way out?" Eleanor asked.

"No way out." He confirmed.

"You'll think of something." Rose said quietly.

"The entire Earth is being sterilised. This, and other places like it, are all that's left of the human race. We might hold out for a while, but nothing can stop those creatures." The Doctor said.

"They'll get through in the end. The walls aren't that old. And there's nothing we can do to stop them." Eleanor added.

"There used to be laws against this kind of thing. Our kind would have stopped this from happening. But they're all gone. And we're going the same way." The Doctor finished.

"If I'd realised..." Rose said.

"Just... Tell us you're sorry." Eleanor said.

"I am. I'm sorry." Rose said sincerely. El grinned. As did the Doctor, and he wrapped an arm around Eleanor's waist. She felt something hot inside his pocket. She took the TARDIS key out of his pocket. It was glowing brightly.

She grinned up at the Doctor, before dropping it.

"It's the TARDIS key!" He exclaimed, taking off his leather jacket and using it to pick up the hot key. "It's telling us it's still connected to the TARDIS!"

The Doctor and Eleanor stood, addressing the guests who were gathered, listening as they finished each others sentences, intently.

"The inside of our ship was thrown out of a wound but we can use THIS to bring it back." The Doctor said.

"Once we've got the ship back, everything can be mended. We just need power. Anyone got a battery?" Eleanor asked.

Stuart saw his father's phone and jumped up and showed them both.

"This one big enough?"

"Fantastic." The Doctor said, hurring to the phone.

"Good old dad. There you go." He said, handing it the Doctor.

"We just need to charge it up." Eleanor explained. "And then everyone comes back!" 


	25. Father's Day

Jackie looked warily around as the Reaper's tried to knock the church door down.  
~ Rose and Pete sat down on a bench at the back of the church.  
"You, um... You never said why you came here in the first place. If I had a time machine, I wouldn't have thought 1987 was anything special. Not round here, anyway." Pete shrugged.  
"We just ended up here." Rose quickly said.  
"Lucky for me, eh? If you hadn't been there to save me..."  
"That was just a co-incidence. That was just... REALLY good luck. It's amazing." Rose said quickly.  
Pete looked at Rose, as if he didn't believe her.  
"So, in the future, are me and her indoors still together?" Pete asked after a pause.  
"Yeah." Rose lied.  
"Are you still living with us?"  
"Yep!" Rose exclaimed.  
Pete smiled and nodded. He looked at her for a few seconds.  
"Am I a good dad?" He asked.  
Rose couldn't tell him.  
"You... You told me a bedtime story every night when I saw small. You were always there... you never missed one." Rose lied.  
She smiled, as if thinking back on memories. "And, um... You took us for picnics in the country every Saturday. You never let us down. You were there for us all the time."  
Pete listened intently.  
"Someone I could really rely on."  
They were silent for a moment.  
"That's not me." Pete said quietly.  
Rose stopped smiling. She looked to the front of the church where Eleanor and the Doctor watched happily as the TARDIS began appearing. The Doctor shrugged his jacket on as the key was in the lock of the door. He ran up to the pulpit.  
"Right, no one touches the key. Have you got that? Don't touch it. Anyone touches that key, it'll be- well-.. You know. Just leave it and everything will be fine. We'll get out of here. All of us. Stuart, Sarah - you're gonna get married, just like I said." The Doctor grinned.  
The TARDIS was appearing definitly but slowly. Everyone sat, waiting excitedly. The Doctor, Eleanor and Rose sat next to each other on a bench at the back of the church. Pete sat behind them. "When time gets sorted out..." Rose began/  
"Everybody here forgets what happened. And don't worry... the thing that you changed will stay changed." The Doctor said.  
"You mean I'll still be alive." Pete said sadly. Rose turned to face him.  
"Though I'm meant to be dead."  
Rose looked without speaking. "That's why I haven't done anything with my life. Why I didn't mean anything." Pete shrugged.  
"It doesn't work that way." Eleanor assured him.  
"Rubbish. I'm so useless I couldn't even die properly. Now it's my fault all of this has happened."  
"This is my fault." Rose corrected, placing a hand on his arm.  
"No, love. I'm your dad. It's my job for it to be my fault."  
"Her dad? How are you her dad? How old were you, twelve?" Jackie demanded.  
The Doctor rolled his eyes.  
"Oh, that's disgusting." Jackie hissed.  
"Jacks - listen. This is Rose." Pete said, standing.  
"Rose? How sick is that? You give my daughter a second hand name? How many are there? Do you call them all Rose?" Jackie asked, her voice low as she choked up in sadness.  
"Oh, for God's sake, look! It's the same Rose!" Pete exclaimed.  
He took baby Rose from Jackie's arms and placed her into Rose's. Eleanor tried to grab her but it was too late.  
"Rose! No!" The Doctor shouted. Eleanor pulled the baby from her arms a second too late. A Repear appeared in the middle of the church and the guests screamed and leapt to their feet.  
The Doctor immmediately grabbed Eleanor's hand and placed her right behind him, protecting her before anyone else.  
"Everyone! Behind me!" The Doctor shouted, and everyone gathered behind him. The Reaper chirped and spread it's wings.  
"I'm the oldest thing in here." The Doctor said.  
The Reaper beared down on him. Everyone winced at Eleanor's ear piercing scream of pain.  
"Doctor!" Rose shouted, as the Doctor was no more. The Reaper swooped around the church, as everyone screamed, except for Eleanor. She stood, once again expressionless and dead inside. This isn't how this was supposed to go. And she blamed Rose. Of course she did. The Reaper collided with the partly appeared TARDIS, and disappeared, along with the TARDIS.  
All people could hear was Eleanor's defeated sigh as she sat down on the floor, no motivation at all.  
Rose ran to the aisle and picked up the fallen key.  
"Cold. He's cold." She said. "Oh, my God. He's dead." Rose gasped. She turned to Eleanor, and the most painful look crossed El's face. "It's all my fault.. Eleanor.."  
"Save it." Eleanor snapped."The only chance we had of surviving. Everyone surviving. And now he's dead." She spat. Rose flinched. The old Eleanor wouldn't have done this. "Well done, Rose. The only thing left to do now is for you know what to collide with that car, because I am not going to live without him, Rose Tyler!" She hissed.  
Rose began crying, audibly gasping for breath at Eleanor's harsh words, but she knew it was true. Pete gathered the girl in his arms, whereas Jackie went and put a comforting arm around the distraught Time Lord.  
~ Pete was sat on his own in the darkened church. He winced as Eleanor stormed over to him.  
"You know why you're here." She said, not coldly. Pete nodded. "You know you have to go." She added. He nodded again. She nodded tightly and walked back, leaving him to his thoughts.  
Pete watched as his intended death span around and around the street, searching for a Pete Tyler to run over. It would never leave.  
Rose walked over to her dad and sat next to him.  
"The Doctor really cared about you..." Pete said. "He didn't want you to go through it again if there was another way. Neither did Eleanor. And don't think badly of her, she just needs him back. The whole world does." "What're you talking about?" Rose asked.  
"The car that should've killed me, love. It's here. The Doctor and Eleanor worked it out way back, but they, er, they tried to protect me." Pete said, putting his jacket on.  
Rose looked at him, her eyes filled with tears.  
"Still- she's given up, and he's gone. They're not in charge anymore. I am."  
"But you can't..." Rose said, her voice cracking.  
"Who am I, love?" He asked.  
"My Daddy." Rose cried.  
Jackie walked over, wide eyed.  
"Jackie... look at her. She's ours." Pete said.  
"Oh, God..." Jackie said, and she threw her arms around Rose. When she let go, she looked at Pete. Eleanor came over, her face slightly calmer.  
"I'm meant to be dead, Jackie. You're gonna get rid of me at last." Pete smiled.  
"Don't say that." Jackie demanded.  
"For once in your life, trust me. It's got to be done. You've got to survive, because you've got to look after our daughter." Pete said. He gestured to Rose, and he leaned into Jackie for a last kiss. He then turned to Eleanor.  
"Eleanor Thorn. Thank you for trying to protect me and Rose. And thank you for giving me a reality check." He said, and kissed her cheek. "Say thank you to the Doctor for me."  
"I will do." She said. He then turned to Rose.  
"I never read you those bedtime stories. I never took you on those picnics. I was never there for you."  
"You would've been." Rose cried.  
"But I can do this for you now. I can be a proper dad to you now."  
"But it's not fair." Rose sobbed. Pete smiled.  
"I've had all these extra hours. No one else in the world has had that. And on top of that... I get to see you. And you're beautiful." He smiled. "How lucky am I, eh? So, come on... do as your dad says."  
Rose handed him the vase, tears running down her face.  
"Are you going to be there for me, love?" Pete asked. Rose nodded. He put a hand on her shoulder and looked into her eyes.  
"Thanks for saving me."  
He pulled his wife and daughter into a hug. Eleanor watched sadly.  
~ Pete sprinted out the doors, vase in hand. He looked up at the Reapers circling the church and screaming.  
He turned to see the car speeding around the corner, the driver's arm raised in front of his eyes. He ran straight into the road, screwing up his eyes before the impact of metal on body.  
"Goodbye, love..." Pete said. The vase crashed to the ground and broke. The Reapers slowly disappeared. Rose stood outside the church, watching. Eleanor walked behind her, and looked down at her before putting a hand on her shoulder.  
"Go to him. Quick." Eleanor said. Rose sprinted into the road, and knelt down next to her dying held his hand and lifted his head off the ground. They looked into each others eyes as he took his last breaths. Eventually, his eyes closed and his head fell to the ground. Eleanor watched as Rose covered her face with her hands and cried.  
A hand patted her shoulder. she turned and her face broke into a grin when she saw who it was.  
She wrapped her arms around his neck as he picked her up, swinging her around a little. He put her down, and none of them said a word. They didn't want to ruin Rose's final moments.  
The congregation of the church, with everyone alive, gathered, wondering what had happened.  
~ A younger Rose sat on her mother's bed, listening intently to stories of her brave father.  
"The driver was just a kid. He stopped. He waited for the police. It wasn't his fault. For some reason, Pete just ran out. People say there were these two girls, the brunette one waited outside the church gates, watching. The other, a blonde, sat with Pete and held his hand. Then they were gone. Never found out who they were." Jackie said.  
~ Nineteen year old Rose kissed her fathers forehead. She stood up, and turned around to meet the Doctor and El watching. She smiled as she saw the Doctor alive and well. She walked over to them. She laced hands with both the Doctor and El, and slowly walked back to the TARDIS.

Peter Alan Tyler, my Dad. The most wonderful man in the world. Died the 7th of November, 1987.  



	26. Army of Ghosts

"Bye Doctor." I said, throwing my arms around the leather clad man and kissing his cheek. I then turned to Rose, who still looked apologetically at me.

"Bye Rose." I grinned, hugging her too. "And how many times have I told you that I forgive you, and I'm sorry for shouting at you?" I asked sternly. She relaxed a little and wrapped her arms around my shoulders too.

"Bye El." She whispered.

"I'll be seeing you two later." I smirked, and walked out of the TARDIS, into 2006 London. I had gotten a message on my phone with instructions.

'Drop whatever you're doing. London. 2006. Powell Estate. -Doctor x'

So drop whatever I was doing is exactly what I did.

I sighed as I saw the Doctor had dropped me a couple of estates away from the Tyler's flat. I decided that it was a nice day to walk it, and so shoved my hands in my pocket and walked the short distance to see what the Doctor wanted.

When I arrived, I knocked on the door and sighed as I waited for them to open the door. I gave up and simply walked in, to be met by the Doctor, Rose and Jackie, paired with a shimmery silver man.

"Whaa..?" I asked. The Doctor and Rose were staring, dumbstruck by the man, whereas Jackie seemed perfectly at ease with him.

"Hello El, darling. This is my Dad, Rose's Grandad. He's come to visit." She smiled.

"You think this is a ghost?" I asked. She nodded, her smile not fading. The Doctor and Rose stormed past me, and I followed.

"They're everywhere!" The Doctor exclaimed, confused.

"They're not ghosts, surely." I said. He shook his head. Nobody seemed to care about the 'ghosts', life simply continued as normal.

"Doctor, look out!" Rose exclaimed, as a ghost walked right through him. He squirmed with discomfort, but he wasn't in pain.

"They haven't got long. Midday shift only lasts a couple of minutes. They're about to fade." Jackie exclaimed, joining them outside.

"What do you mean, SHIFT? Since when did ghosts have shifts? Since when did ghosts have shifts? What's going on?" The Doctor asked.

"Oh, he's not happy when I know more than him, is he?" Jackie smirked.

"But no one's running around or screaming or freaking out-" I began.

"Why should we?" Jackie asked me, checking her watch. "Here we go. Twelve minutes past."

Jackie smiled at Rose.

We watched as the ghosts disappeared. The Doctor and I glanced around, more confused than before. We walked back into the flat.

The Doctor and I sat on the floor in front of the TV, watching intently at a program called 'Ghostwatch.'

"On today's Ghostwatch, claims that some of the ghosts are starting to talk, and there seems to be a regular formation gathering around Westminster Bridge." The reporter said.

"It's almost like a military display." I said, as we were shown footage of the ghosts, in lines, down Westminster Bridge.

"What the hell's going on?" The Doctor asked, his brow furrowed. He flicked through the channels, watching in other countries as the ghosts surrounded the world.

"It's all over the world." The Doctor breathed.

Eastenders came on TV. I grinned as Peggy Mitchell shouted at the apparent ghost on screen.

"Listen to me, Denn Watts. I don't care if you have come back from the grave. Get out of my pub! The only spirits I'm serving in this place are gin, whisky and vodka. So you heard me, GET OUT!"

He turned the TV off, just as I was getting into it.

"When did it start?" He asked.

"Well, first of all, Peggy heard this noise in the cellar, so she goes down-" Jackie started.

"No, I mean worldwide."

He spoils all my fun.

"Oh! That was about two months ago. Just happened. Woke up one morning, and there they all were. Ghosts. Everywhere. We all ran around screaming and that, whole planet was panicking... no sign of you three thank you very much... then it sort of sank in. Took us time to realise that... we're lucky."

"What makes you think it's your Dad?" I asked gently.

"Just feels like him. There's this smell, those old cigarettes. Can't you smell it?" Jackie asked.

"I wish I could, mum. But I can't." Rose said gently.

"You've got to make an effort. You've got to want it sweetheart."

"What, so the more you want it, the stronger it gets?" I asked.

"Sort of, yeah." Jackie nodded.

"Like a physic link." I told the Doctor. He nodded.

"Of course you want your old dad to be alive, but you're wishing him into existence. The ghosts are using that to pull themselves in." The Doctor said.

"You're spoiling it." Jackie hissed.

"I'm sorry, Jackie. But there's no smell, there's no cigarettes. Just a memory." The Doctor said slowly.

"But if they're not ghosts, what are they, then?" Rose asked.

"Yeah, but they're human! You can see them- they LOOK human!" Jackie exclaimed.

"She's got a point. I mean, they're all sort of blurred, but they're definitely people." Rose agreed.

"Or maybe something that has the form of a human." I added.

"They're pressing themselves into the surface of the world. But a footprint doesn't look like a boot." The Doctor said.

He stood up, pulling me with him.

The Doctor was wedged under the TARDIS console, and I was waiting to see if he found what we needed.

Rose walked in with a newspaper in her hands.

"According to the paper, they've elected a ghost as MP for Leeds. Now don't tell me you're gonna sit back and do nothing." Rose said.

The Doctor suddenly popped up from the grilling, dancing insanely to the theme tune of the Ghost busters. He passed me a device, and he wore a rucksack on his back.

"Who're you gonna call?" He shout-sang.

"Ghost busters!" Rose and I shouted, laughing happily.

"I ain't afraid of no ghosts!" He sang, and ran out the TARDIS. Rose and I followed, laughing insanely.

Jackie was waiting for us outside. She stared at the device I was holding with wide eyes.

The Doctor set three cone devices in a triangle shape.

"When's the next shift?" I asked Jackie.

"Quarter to. But don't go causing trouble. What's that lot?" She asked.

"Triangulates their point of origin." The Doctor said.

"I don't suppose it's the Gelth?" Rose asked.

"Nah." The Doctor replied.. Rose shook her head.

"They were coming through one little rift. This lot are transposing themselves over the whole planet. Like tracing paper." The Doctor added.

"You're always doing this. Reducing it to science. Why can't it be real? Just think of it, though... all the people we've lost, our families, coming back home. Don't you think it's beautiful?" Jackie asked.

"I think it's horrific." I said, and the Doctor nodded.

He started unwinding the cable, leading it in the TARDIS. Rose and I followed.

"As soon as it becomes activated, if that line goes into the red, press that button there. If it doesn't stop..." The Doctor explained to Rose. He brandished the sonic under Rose's eyes, and she became cross eyed trying to focus it.

"Setting 15B. Hold it against the port, eight seconds and stop." I explained, snatching the sonic and giving it to Rose.

"15B. Eight seconds."

"If it goes into the blue, activate the deep scan on the left." The Doctor instructed.

"Hang on a minute, I know..." Rose said.

She leaned over the console and pointed at a button. "It's that one." She said.

"Close." I whispered.

She pointed to another. "That one?"

"Nooooow you just killed us." The Doctor said. Rose and I giggled.

"Eh... that one." She pointed at another.

"Yes!" I exclaimed, high fiving her.

"What've we got? Two minutes to go?" The Doctor asked. Jackie checked her watch.

The Doctor grabbed the devices from me and pressed them into the three cones.

"What's the line doing?" I called/

"It's all right, it's holding up!" Rose shouted back. "It's saying 'delta one six'. "

"Come on you beauty!" The Doctor exclaimed, jiggling with anticipation. I shook my head at him softly.

"What?" He asked. I walked over, arms crossed, and kissed his stupid excited mouth gently.

"Oh, uh.. That." He said, as I pulled back. I pointed to the triangle as the ghost materialised in the centre. The cones fizzed into an electric blue pyramid. The Doctor pulled two pairs of 3D glasses out his pocket and threw a pair to me. I slid them on. I adjusted the settings on the equipment. A green light bleeped. As I continued changing the settings, the ghost moaned and shuddered.

"Don't like that much, do you? Who are you? Where are you coming from? WHOA!" The Doctor shouted, as the ghost gave out an electric shock. He stumbled backwards.

"You okay?" I asked, he nodded.

"That's more like it! Not so friendly now, are you?" He asked, triumphant. I rolled my eyes. Moments later, the ghost disappeared. The Doctor and I darted forward and began collecting the equipment.

We ran into the TARDIS, and the Doctor threw his coat over the railings.

"We said so! Those ghosts have been FORCED into existence for one specific point!" I shouted.

"And we can track down the source. Allons-y!" He exclaimed. He pulled a lever as I pressed some buttons. The TARDIS shuddered, and Rose fell back onto the chair. The rotor rose and fell.

"I thougt Allons-y was a nice touch." I told the Doctor.

"Me too. I should say 'allons-y' more often. Watch out, Eleanor Thorn! Allons-y!"

"And, it would be brilliant if you met someone called Alonzo." I grinned. He nodded excitedly.

"I could say 'Allons-y Alonzo! Every time!" He shouted, laughing. "You're staring at us." He said seriously, and I turned to Rose, who was smirking.

"My mum's still on board." Rose said quietly.

"If we end up on Mars, I'll kill you." Jackie snapped. She folded her arms. Rose and I smirked as the Doctor looked horrified.

After we materialised, we watched on the TARDIS screen where we had landed. We seemed to be in a storage room, and soldiers armed to the teeth ran into the room, holding guns, pointing at the TARDIS.

"There goes the advantage of surprise." I said.

"Stay in here, look after Jackie." The Doctor told Rose, linking his hand through mine and pulling me to the door.

"I'm not looking after my mum!" Rose exclaimed.

"Well, you brought her." He retorted.

"I was kidnapped!" Jackie shouted. Rose pushed past us and blocked us, we couldn't get past.

"Doctor, they've got guns." She said warningly.

"And we haven't. Which makes us the better people, don't you think?" I said smiled.

"They can shoot us dead, but the moral high ground is ours." The Doctor added, and with that we pushed through the doors.

We raised our hands as the guns were aimed at our heads. They released the safety.

Suddenly, a blonde woman, beaming, walked into the room, running towards us.

"Oh...! Oh, how marvellous!" She exclaimed happily. She began clapping. "Oh, very good. Superb. Happy day!"

The soldiers followed suit, applauding. We didn't really know what to do, but I grabbed his long arm and pulled it down.

"Um. Thanks. Nice to meet you. Good to know I'm appreciated." The Doctor said.

"Not just you, Doctor. Eleanor Thorn. Wonderful." The woman grinned.

"You... You've heard of us then?" I asked.

"Well of course we have. And I have to say, if it wasn't for you two, none of us would be here. The Doctor, Eleanor Thorn, AND the TARDIS...!" She said, and overcome, she began clapping again.

"And... and.. and you are?" The Doctor asked, clearly enjoying this.

"Oh, plenty of time for that. But according to our records, you're not one for travelling alone. The Doctor, Eleanor, and they're companion. That's a pattern isn't it, right?" The woman asked. "There's no point hiding anything. Not from us. So where is she?" She grinned.

"...Yes! Sorry. Good point. She's just a bit shy, that's all." The Doctor said. He opened the TARDIS, and felt around. He pulled out... Jackie Tyler.

"What?" I mouthed, unnoticed by the group watching.

"But here she is: Rose Tyler." The Doctor said. Had he gone insane? "Hmm. She's not the best we've ever had. Bit too blonde. Not too steady on her pins. A lot of that." He said, miming chatting with his hand. Jackie glared at him, and the woman laughed.

"And just last week, she stared into the heart of the TIme Vortex and aged fifty seven years." I added, grinning.

"But she'll do." The Doctor finished.

"I'm 40!" Jackie exclaimed.

"Deluded. Bless." I said sympathetically.

"We'll have to trade her in. Do you need anyone? She's very good at tea. Well. I say very good, I mean not bag. Well. I say not bad... anyway! Lead on." The Doctor rambled.

"But not too fast. Her ankle's going." I finished, as the woman led us away.

"I'll show you two where my ankle's going." Jackie hissed. I guffawed as the Doctor and I linked hands.

"It was only a matter of time until you found us. And at last you've made it. I'd like to welcome you, Doctor. Eleanor Thorn." The woman smiled. She pushed double doors open and showed us the huge factory floor, full of alien artifacts and scientists.

"Welcome.. To Torchwood." The woman smiled.

"That's a Jathar Sunglider." The Doctor said, pointing.

"Came down to Earth of the Shetland Islands ten years ago."

"What, it crashed?" I asked.

"No, we shot it down. It violated our airspace. Then we stripped it bare. The weapon that destroyed the Sycorax on Christmas Day? That was us! Now, if you'd like to come with us." The woman said. I glared at her.

"The Torchwood Institute has a motto, "If it's alien, it's ours." Anything that comes from the sky, we strip it down, and we use it. For the good of the British Empire."

"For the good of the what?" Jackie asked.

"The British Empire." The woman repeated.

"There ISN'T a British Empire." Jackie replied.

"Not yet." The woman agreed. "Excuse me." She said, and took a weapon of a soldier. "Now, if you wouldn't mind... do you recognise this?" She asked.

"Particle gun?" I asked. The Doctor nodded.

"Good, isn't it." She grinned. Jackie tried to touch it, but the woman wrenched it from her grasp. "Took us eight years to get it to work.."

"It's the twenty first century. You can't have particle guns." I insisted.

"We must defend our border against the alien." The woman explained. She handed the gun back.

"Thank you." She said. He nodded.

"Have you got anyone called Alonzo?" I asked.

"No, I don't think so. Is that important?" She asked.

"No, I suppose not." I said, the Doctor smiled down at me, a twinkle in his eye.

"What was your name?" He asked her.

"Yvonne. Yvonne Hartman." Yvonne told us.

The Doctor pulled one large weight like thing from a box, and I pulled a second one.

"Ah yes. Now, we're rather fond of these. The Magnaclamp. Found in a spaceship buried at the base of Mount Snowdon. Attach this to an object and it cancels the mass. I could use to it lift two tonnes of weight with a single hand. That's an imperial ton, by the way. Torchwood refuses to go metric." Yvonne exclaimed.

We both threw the Magnaclamps back in the box.

"I could do with that to carry the shopping." Jackie said.

"All these devices are for Torchwood's benefit. Not the general public's." Yvonne said. Jackie pulled a face.

"So, what about the ghosts?" The Doctor asked.

"Ah yes, the ghosts are what you might call a side effect."

"Of what?" I asked.

"All in good time, Eleanor. There is an itinerary, trust me." Yvonne smiled. The TARDIS was suddenly driven by on the back of a truck.

"Oi! Where're you taking that?" Jackie demanded.

"If it's alien, it's ours." Yvonne quoted.

"You'll never get in." I smirked.

"Hm! Etc." Yvonne grinned.

She walked away. As the TARDIS drove by, Rose peeped through a crack in the door. The Doctor nodded and looked away.

We walked down a corridor, flanked with armed soldiers.

"All those times I've been on Earth. I've never heard of you." The Doctor said.

"But of course not. You're the enemies. You're actually named in the Torchwood Foundation Charter of 1879 as an enemy of the Crown."

"Good old Queen Victoria." I sighed.

"The house in Scotland was called Torchwood." The Doctor said.

"Yep. You encountered a werewolf with the Queen." Yvonne added.

"I think they make half of it up." Jackie said.

"Her Majesty created the Torchwood Institute with the express intention of keeping Britain great. And fighting the alien horde."

"But if we're the enemy, does that mean we're the prisoners?" The Doctor asked.

"Oh yes." Yvonne said lightly.

We rounded a corner and found ourselves in front of a large black door.

"But we'll make you perfectly comfortable. And there is so much you can teach us. Starting with this." Yvonne said, and she pressed her ID card against the door. We walked into the chamber.

A large, black sphere was in flux, housed in the air.

"Now, what do you make of that?" Yvonne asked.

"You must be the Doctor, and Eleanor Thorn. Rajesh Singh. It's an honour, sir, madam." A scientist said, smiling as he walked over.

"Yeah..." The Doctor said vaguely. We were too busy staring at the sphere.

"What is that thing?" Jackie asked.

"We've got no idea." Yvonne said.

"But what's wrong with it?"

"What makes you think something's wrong with us?" Rajesh asked.

"I dunno... just feels weird."

The Doctor grabbed my hand and darted forward, and we both put our 3D looking glasses on at the same time.

"Well, the sphere has that effect on everyone. Makes you wanna run and hide. Like it's forbidden." Yvonne said.

"We tried analysing it using every device imaginable." Rajesh added. "But, according to our instruments, the sphere doesn't exist. It weights nothing. It doesn't age. No heat. No radiation. And it has no atomic mass."

"But I can see it!" Jackie exclaimed.

"Fascinating, isn't it? It upsets people because it gives off- nothing. It is... absent." Rajesh said.

"Well Doctor, Eleanor?" Yvonne asked.

"This is a void ship." The Doctor said.

"And what is that?" Yvonne asked.

"It's impossible." I began. "I thought it was just a theory."

"So did I. It's a vessel designed to exist outside time and space. Travelling through the Void."

"What's the Void?" Rajesh asked.

"The space between dimensions. There's all sorts of realities around us, different dimensions if you will. Uncountable parallel universes laid right next to each other. The Void is the space in between. Contains nothing. No light, no dark, no up, no down. No life. No time. Never ending. Our people called it the Void. The Eternals call it the Howling. You'll know it as Hell." I explained slowly.

"But someone built the sphere? What for? Why go there?" Rajesh asked.

"To explore. To escape. You could sit inside that thing and eternity would pass you by. The Big Bang... End of the universe. Start of the next. You'd exist outside the whole of creation." The Doctor said.

"You see, we were right. There is something inside it." Yvonne said smugly.

"Oh yes."

"So how do we get in there?" Rajesh asked.

"We don't!" I exclaimed.

"We send that thing back into Hell." The Doctor added. "How did it get here in the first place?"

"Well, that's how it all started. The sphere came through into this world, and the ghosts followed in its wake." Yvonne told us.

"Show us." The Doctor demanded. He pulled my hand and we strode off. Yvonne quickly followed.

"No, Doctor." Yvonne said, as he turned right and left, leaving.

Yvonne showed us a large white wall where light supposedly emits from during ghost shift.

"The sphere came through here. A hole in the world." Yvonne told us. We ran our hands over the smooth wall.

"Not active at the moment. But when we fire particle engines at that exact spot, the breech opens up." She said.

"How did you even find it?" I asked.

"Well, we were getting warning signs for years. A radar black spot. So we built this place. Torchwood Tower. The breech was six hundred foot above sea level. It was the only way to reach it."

We both put our glasses back on. "You built a skyscraper just to reach a spatial disturbance? How much money have you got?"

"Enough." Yvonne said sharply. She walked away. The Doctor looked at me, smirked and pulled my glasses off.

"Hey!"

He grinned and took his off too. "You're easy to annoy." He noted, kissing my forehead before walking over to Jackie and Yvonne. I sighed and joined.

"So you find the breech, probe it, the sphere comes through. Six hundred feet above London. Bam. It leaves a hole in the fabric of reality. And that hole, you think... 'OH, shall we leave it alone? Shall we back off? Shall we play it safe?' Nah, you think, 'Let's make it BIGGER!' "

"It's a massive source of energy. If we can harness that power, we need never depend on the Middle East again. Britain will become truly independent. Look, you can see for yourself. Next ghost shift is in two minutes." Yvonne retorted. She left the office.

"Cancel it." I demanded.

"I don't think so."

"I'm warning you, cancel it." The Doctor agreed, angrily.

"Oh, exactly as the legends would have it. The Doctor and Eleanor Thorn, lording over us. Assuming alien authority over the rights of man." Yvonne sneered.

"Let me show you." I suggested. I grabbed the Doctor's sonic and stood beside a glass partition between doors.

"Sphere comes through." I said. I activated the sonic and the glass splintered. The crack extended outwards, continuing as I spoke. "When it made the hole, it cracked the world around it. The entire surface of this dimension, splintered. That's how the ghosts access Earth. They're bleeding through the fault lines. Walking from their world, into ours. With the Human Race hoping and wishing and helping them to come through. But too many ghosts, and..." I said. I pressed my pinky finger lightly to the glass and the whole thing shattered, the glass raining onto the floor.

I skipped back to the Doctor and placed the sonic back in his pocket. "Thank you dear."

"Well, in that case we'll have to be more careful." Yvonne said. "Positions! Ghost Shift in one minute!"

"Mrs Hartman, I am asking you- please, don't do it." The Doctor pleaded.

"We have done this a thousand times." Yvonne waved it off.

"Then stop at a thousand!" The Doctor shouted.

"We are in control of the ghosts. The levers can open the breech, but equally, they can close it." Yvonne said smugly.

They stared at each other for a few minutes, until the Doctor looked at me and nodded.

"Okay." He said lightly. We walked into Yvonne's office and both grabbed chairs.

"Sorry?" Yvonne demanded.

"Never mind. As you were." I grinned.

"What, is that it?"

"No! Fair enough. Said our bit. Don't mind us. Any chance of a cup of tea?" The Doctor asked innocently.

"Ghost Shift in twenty seconds." Someone said.

"Can't wait to see it, dear." I grinned at the Doctor.

"You can't stop us." Yvonne said.

"No, absolutely not! Pull up a chair, Rose! Come and watch the fireworks!" The Doctor said to Jackie.

Jackie stood behind me.

"Ghost shift in ten seconds. Nine... eight..."

Yvonne looked uneasy. She stared at us and I raised my eyebrows at her.

"Stop the shift. I said stop." She shouted.

"Thank you." I sighed, grateful.

"I suppose it makes sense to get as much intelligence as possible. But the program will recommence, as soon as you've explained everything." Yvonne warned.

"Glad to be of help." The Doctor grinned.

"And someone clear up this glass. They did warn me. They said Eleanor and the Doctor like to make a mess." Yvonne said, and she walked into her office.

She sat at her desk.

"So these ghosts, whatever they are - did they build the sphere?"

The Doctor was sat, with his feet on the table.

"Must have. Aimed it at this dimension like a canon ball."

She turned her laptop around to show Rose and Rajesh talking. Rose was peering into the camera. I smirked.

"She one of yours?"

We both shook our head. "Never seen her before in my life. What about you, El?"

"Nope." I agreed.

"Good! Then we can have her shot." Yvonne smirked.

"Oh all right then, it's worth a try. That's... That's Rose Tyler." The Doctor said, sitting up.

"Sorry." Rose said into the camera. "Hello." She waved. I grinned and waved back, as did the Doctor.

"Well, if that's Rose Tyler, who's she?" Yvonne asked, pointing to Jackie.

"I'm her mother."

"Oh, you travel with her mother?"

"He kidnapped me!" Jackie exclaimed. I noticed that she didn't include me in on that. She liked me. Ha.

"Please, when Torchwood comes to write my complete history, don't tell people I travelled through time and space with her mother..." The Doctor grimaced.

"Charming." Jackie said.

"I've got a reputation to uphold!"

The sound of the ghost shift engines cranked into life.

"Excuse me? Everyone? I said to stop the Ghost Shift!" Yvonne called. Everyone ignored her. "Who started the program? But- I ordered you to stop! Who's doing that? Step away from the monitors, everyone."

Nobody did, everyone continued typing. Yvonne was getting stressed.

"Gareth, Addy, stop what you're doing RIGHT NOW. Matt. Step away from your desk. That's an order! Stop the levers!"

Two Scientists rushed over to the levers and tried to pull them back down.

"What's she doing?" The Doctor asked, walking to a lady.

"Addy, step away from the desk." Yvonne demanded. I clicked my fingers in front of her face. She didn't even flinch.

"Listen to me. Step away from the desk." Yvonne instructed.

"She can't hear you." I said.

"They're overriding the system." The Doctor said, watching her work.

"We're going into Ghost Shift." I concluded.

We both stared at her ear pieces.

"It's the ear pieces. They're controlling them." I said. He took out his sonic.

"Sorry. I'm so sorry." He said sincerely, and he scanned the ear pieces, deactivating them. The girl screamed with pain and slumped over the desk, dead. The men did the same.

"What happened? What did you just do?" Yvonne demanded.

"They're dead." The Doctor said.

"You killed them." Jackie accused.

"Oh someone else did that long before we got here." I told her.

"But he killed them!"

"Jackie, we haven't got time for this." I said calmly, noticing the Doctor was becoming angry.

"What're those ear pieces?" Yvonne asked.

"Don't." I warned.

"But they're standard comms. devices. How does it control them?"

"Trust me, leave them alone." I warned, as the Doctor walked over to one of the mans computers.

"But what are they?"

She grabbed one of the ear pieces and pulled it. A trail of brain tissue was attached to it. I winced and looked away.

"Urgh! Oh, God! It goes inside their brain!" Yvonne exclaimed, disgusted.

She dropped it.

"What about the Ghost Shift?" The Doctor asked.

"Ninety percent there. It's still running. Can't you stop it?" She asked.

"They're still controlling it. They've hi-jacked the systems." The Doctor groaned.

"Who's THEY?" Yvonne asked.

"It might be remote transmitter. It's gotta be close by." I said. The Doctor nodded.

"I can trace it." He said to me.

He darted off, and I followed.

"Jackie, stay here!" The Doctor exclaimed.

The Doctor, Yvonne, two soldiers and I walked some curtained area.

"What's down here?" I asked.

"I don't... I dunno. I think it's building work. It's just renovations." Yvonne said.

"You should go back." The Doctor said to us.

"Think again." Yvonne said, and I nodded. As if.

We followed.

"What is it? What's down here?" she asked.

"Ear pieces. Ear pods. This world is colliding with another. And I think I know which one." The Doctor said.

So did I. Everyone had heard of the Cybermen. I may not have seen them in the flesh.. or metal. But I'd heard stories. They terrified me.

All of a sudden, shadows of large men standing behind the curtains surrounded, getting into position. The Doctor's hand found mine.

"What are they?"

"They came through first." The Doctor said.

The Cybermen slit the curtains with their hands. I had to cover my mouth to stop my scream.

"I'm properly scared." I whispered. The Doctor grabbed my hand tighter.

"The advance guard." He said. The metal men stepped through the plastic curtains and began marching towards us.

"Cybermen." The Doctor said. He seemed to notice how scared I was, and we tried to escape, but we were surrounded. The soldiers fired their bullets but nothing happened.

The Cybermen led us, hands behind our heads, to the rift chamber.

"Get away from the machines. Do what they say. Don't fight them!" The Doctor warned. The Cybermen revealed their weapons and shot a Scientist. I squeezed my eyes shut.

"What are they?" Jackie asked, terrified.

"We are the Cybermen. The Ghost Shift will be increased to one hundred percent." A Cyberman said.

It clamped a hand to its chest and the lever rose again, beginning the Ghost Shift.

"Here come the ghosts." The Doctor said.

"These Zybermen- what've they got to do with the ghosts?" Jackie asked.

"Do you ever listen? A footprint doesn't look like a boot!" The Doctor exclaimed.

"Achieving full transfer." The Cyberman said.

"They're Cybermen, Jackie. All of the ghosts are Cybermen." I said shakily.

"Millions of them. Right across the world." The Doctor said.

"They're invading the whole planet." Yvonne breathed.

"It's not an invasion, it's too late for that. It's a victory." The Doctor said.

The laptop started bleeping.

"Sphere activated. Sphere activated. Sphere activated."

The Doctor walked over to a near Cyberman.

"What I don't understand is Cybermen don't have the technology to build the Void Ship. That's way beyond you. How did you create that sphere?" The Doctor asked.

"The sphere is not ours." The Cyberman said.

"What?" I asked.

"The sphere broke down the barriers between worlds. We only followed. It's origin is unknown." The Cyberman said.

"Then what's inside it?" The Doctor asked, as confused as me.

"Rose is down there." A fearful Jackie said. 


	27. Eleanor Says Goodbye Part One

This is the last episode of The Girl Who Skips Through Time. But don't worry, there'll be another sequel :-)

-Fay x

"What's down there? She was in that room with the sphere. What's happened to Rose?" Jackie demanded.

"I don't know." The Doctor snapped.

Jackie began to cry, and I went over to her. I put my arm around her shoulder and pulled her to me.

"We'll find her. We brought you here, we'll get you out. Both of you. You and Rose. I promise. I give you my word." I said. She nodded.

A Cyberman approached Yvonne.

"You will talk to your central world authority and order global surrender." It demanded.

"Oh, do some research. We haven't GOT a central world authority." She sneered, with no fear.

"You have now. I will speak on all global wavelengths." It replied.

The Doctor put on his glasses, so I copied.

"This broadcast is for human kind."

We watched the proceedings further down in Torchwood Tower.

"I ordered surrender." The Cyberman said.

"They're not taking instructions, don't you understand? You're on every street, in their homes. You've got their children. Of course they're gonna fight." I spat.

"Scans detect unknown technology active within sphere chamber. Cybermen will investigate."

They pushed past staff, leaving them alone.

A visual of the area the Cybermen had detected activity flashed up upon the laptop.

I started as I saw Daleks.

"IDENTIFY YOURSELVES."

"You will identify first."

"STATE YOUR IDENTITY."

We stared at the laptop. This was worse than I could've even imagined.

"You will identify first."

"IDENTIFY!"

"You will modify."

"DALEKS DO NOT TAKE ORDERS."

"You have identified yourself as Daleks."

"OUTLINE RESEMBLES THE INFERIOR SPECIES KNOWN AS CYBERMEN."

"Rose said about the Daleks. She was terrified of them. What have they done to her, Doctor? Is she dead? Eleanor?" Jackie demanded.

"Phone." The Doctor demanded through gritted teeth.

"What did you-?"

"Phone!"

Jackie gave him her phone and the Cybermen didn't notice. He dialled Rose's number and held the phone to his ear.

"She's answered. She's alive." He sighed, I also sighed in relief. Jackie clapped a hand over her mouth.

"Why haven't they killed her?" The Doctor asked.

"Well, don't complain!" Jackie shouted.

"They must need her for something." I reasoned.

"Genesis Ark?" The Doctor asked suddenly. He put on his 3D glasses and looked at the laptop. I did the same.

"Our species are similar, though your design is inelegant."

"DALEKS HAVE NO CONCEPT OF ELEGANCE."

"That is obvious. But consider - our technologies are compatible. Cybermen plus Daleks- together, we could upgrade the universe."

"YOU PROPOSE AN ALLIANCE?"

"That is correct."

"REQUEST DENIED."

The Cybermen thrust their fists out, ready to shoot.

"Hostile elements will be deleted."

They shot at the Daleks, but the rays bounced off the Daleks armour.

"EXTERMINATE!" The Daleks aimed at the Cybermen, and they all collapsed on the floor.

"Open visual link." The Cybermen with us demanded. The Cybermen addressed the Daleks in the sphere chamber through the screen.

"Daleks, be warned : You have declared war upon the Cybermen."

"THIS IS NOT WAR. THIS IS PEST CONTROL."

"We have five million Cybermen. How many are you?"

"FOUR."

"You would destroy the Cybermen with four Daleks?"

"WE WOULD DESTROY THE CYBERMEN WITH ONE DALEK. YOU ARE SUPERIOR IN ONLY ONE RESPECT."

"What is that?"

"YOU ARE BETTER AT DYING. RAISE COMMUNICATIONS BARRIER!"

The screen went static.

"Lost her." The Doctor said, clicking the phone off.

"Quarantine the Sphere Chamber. Start emergency upgrading. Begin with these personnel." The Cybermen said.

Yvonne struggled as they dragged her away.

"No, you can't do this! We surrendered! We surrendered!"

They began dragging Jackie, the Doctor and I away too. "These two's increased adrenaline suggests they have vital Dalek information."

Jackie screamed at me as we were put down and she dragged away.

"You promised me! You gave me your word!"

"We'll think of something!" I shouted as she was dragged out of sight.

"You are proof." A Cyberman approached us.

"Of what?"

"That emotions destroy you."

"Yeah, I am." The Doctor said, glancing at me. "Mind you, I quite like love. Love's a good emotion. So's hope. And here it comes." He said. A group of people dressed in black, wearing helmets and carrying guns sprang out of nowhere. They shot at the Cybermen, destroying them.

We both rolled out the way and crouched in Yvonne's office.

"Doctor- Good to see you again. This must be a new version of Eleanor." A man said. He took his helmet off.

"Jake?" The Doctor smiled.

"The Cybermen came through from one world to another- and so did we." He smiled.

The Doctor now looked concerned.

"Defend this room. Chrissie, monitor communications." Jake instructed.

"Kill one Cyber Leader and they just download into another, move!"

The group in black hurried from room to room.

"You can't just - just- HOP from one world to another. You can't." The Doctor said.

"We just did. With these. Watch." Jake said, and he slid a yellow button on a chain around my neck, and bopped the button.

I was one another world. I yelped. This was not good. I bopped the button again and came back. I threw the button onto a desk.

"That's impossible. You can't have that type of technology." I insisted.

"We've got our own version of Torchwood. They developed it. Do you wanna come and see?"

"No!" The Doctor exclaimed, but it was too late, the buttons were around our necks once more.

We were in the same room, except it was a little darker. Wires and equipment were strewn along the floor.

"Parallel world. Parallel Torchwood. Except we found out what the institute was doing and the people's republic took control." Jake said.

"We've gotta get back. Rose is in danger. And her mother." The Doctor pleaded.

Suddenly, Pete Tyler walked into the room. "That'd be Jackie." He said.

I gasped. "Pete!" I exclaimed.

"Right, hooray. But we've gotta get back, right now." The Doctor said.

"No, you're not in charge here. This is our world, not yours. And you're gonna listen for once." Pete said.

"When you left this world, you warned us there'd be more Cybermen. So we sealed them inside the factories." Pete explained.

"Except people argued. Said they were living. We should help them." Jake added.

"And the debate went on. But all that time, the Cybermen made plans. Infiltrated this version of Torchwood, mapped themselves onto your world, and then vanished." Pete said.

"When was this?" I asked.

"Three years ago."

"It's taken them three years to cross the void, but we can pop to and fro in a second. Must be the sheer mass of five million Cybermen crossing all at once." The Doctor said.

"Yeah, Mickey said you'd rattle off that sort of stuff. You too Eleanor. Nice to see you again."

I was so looking forward to my Cyberman future.

"Oh, where is Mickey-boy?" The Doctor asked.

"He went ahead first. Any chance to go and find Miss Rose Tyler." Pete said,

"She's your daughter. You do know that?" I asked.

"She's not mine. She's the child of a dead man. Look at it. A world of peace. They're calling this the Golden Age."

"Who's the President now?" I asked.

"A woman called Harriet Jones."

"I'd keep an eye on her." The Doctor exhaled.

"But it's a lie. Temperatures have risen by two degrees in the past six months. The ice caps are melting. They're saying all this is gonna be flooded. That's not just global warming, is it?" Pete asked.

"No." The Doctor replied.

"It's the breech." I said.

"I've been trying to tell you- travel between Parallel Worlds is impossible. Then the Daleks break down the walls with the sphere..." The Doctor said.

"Daleks?" Pete asked.

"Then the Cybermen travelled across, then you lot- those disks- every time you jump from one reality to another, you rip a hole in the universe. This planet is starting to boil. Keep going and both worlds will fall into the Void."

"But you can stop it- the famous Doctor and Priestess? You can seal the breech?"

"Leaving five million Cybermen stranded on my Earth." I said.

"That's your problem, darling. I'm protecting this world, and this world only." Pete told me.

"Hm.. Pete Tyler. I knew you when you were dead. Now here you are, fighting the fight... alone... There is a chance... back on our world.. Jackie Tyler might still be alive." I said, not liking his tone of voice.

"My wife died."

"Her husband died. Good match."

"There's more important things at stake. Doctor, Priestess. Help us."

"What? Close the breech? Stop the Cybermen? Defeat the Daleks? Do you believe we can do that?" The Doctor asked.

"Yes." Pete said confidently.

"Off we go then." The Doctor grinned.

The Doctor stuck his stick with white paper glued to the tip around a corner. We followed a second later.

"Sorry." The Doctor said. The Cybermen span around to look. "No white flag. I only had a sheet of A4. Same difference."

"Do you surrender?" The Cyberman asked.

"I surrender. Unto you." The Doctor said, and we both marched forwards. "A very good idea."

"YOU WILL BE EXTERMINATED!" A Dalek shouted at Rose.

"Oh, now. Hold on. Wait a minute." The Doctor said, and we walked into the room.

"ALERT, ALERT. YOU ARE THE DOCTOR AND THE PRIESTESS."

Rose smiled. We were both wearing our 3D glasses.

"SENSORS REPORT HE IS UNARMED."

That's us. Always." The Doctor said lightly.

"THEN YOU ARE POWERLESS."

We ignored them.

"How are you?" The Doctor asked Rose.

"Oh, same old. You know." She grinned.

"Good! And Mickity-McMickey! Nice to see you!" They bashed fists.

"And you boss." Mickey replied. "Eleanoooor." He said, grinning as I quickly walked over and he enveloped me in a hug.

"SOCIAL INTERACTION WILL CEASE!"

"HOW DID YOU SURVIVE THE TIME WAR?"

"By fighting. On the front line." The Doctor said. I was glad that he didn't tell them about me.

"I was there at the fall of Arcadia. Someday I might even come to terms with that. But you lot- ran away!"

"WE HAD TO SURVIVE."

"The last four Daleks in 's special about you?" I asked.

"El, Doctor. They've got names. And Daleks don't have names, do they?" Rose asked quietly.

"I AM DALEK THAY."

"I AM DALEK SEK."

"DALEK JAST."

"DALEK CAAN."

"So that's it! At last. The Cult of Skaro." I grinned.

"Who are they?" Rose asked.

"A secret order. Above and beyond the Emperor himself. Their job was to imagine. Think as the enemy thinks. Even dared to have names. All to find new ways of killing." The Doctor explained.

"But that thing, they said it was yours. I mean, Time Lords. They built it. What does it do?" Mickey asked.

"I don't know. Never seen it before." I said.

"But it's... Time Lord." Rose insisted.

"Both sides had secrets. Trust me, I was one of their best kept ones." I said.

"What is it? What have you done?" The Doctor demanded.

"TIME LORD SCIENCE WILL RESTORE DALEK SUPREMACY."

"What does that mean? What sort of Time Lord science? What do you mean?"

He activated his sonic, and immediately, the doors exploded inwards. Jake and his gang and the Cybermen leaped into action, firing at the Daleks.

"Delete! Delete! Delete! Delete! Delete!"

"ALERT! CASING IMPACT! CASING IMPACT!"

We all flung ourselves to the ground, trying to avoid the bullets.

"Rose, El, get out!" The Doctor exclaimed. We made for the door, but we stumbled.

"FIRE POWER INSUFFICIENT! FIRE POWER INSUFFICIENT!"

Pete helped us to our feet and we made for the doors. Mickey picked up a gun and also began firing.

The Doctor managed to run towards us, and we stood in the doorway, watching the two metal beasts kill each other.

"Mickey, come on!" Rose shouted.

Jake managed to reach the door, but Mickey lost his footing and pressed a hand on the Genesis Ark, leaving a hot mark there. He dashed for the door.

"I just fell, I didn't mean it!" Mickey exclaimed.

"Mickey, without us, they'd have opened it by force. To do that, they'd have blown up the sun." I assured him.

"You've done us a favour!" the Doctor agreed, kissing the top of his head. "Now run!"

Pete shot at a Cyberman as it was going to kill Jackie.

She looked around wildly.

"Pete!" She exclaimed. Rose's hand went to her mouth and I smiled gently, looking down.

"Hello, Jacks." Pete said.

"I said there were ghosts, but that's not fair. Why him?" Jackie asked sadly.

"I'm not a ghost." Pete said.

"But you're dead. You died twenty years ago Pete."

It's Pete from a different Universe. There are parallel worlds, Jackie. Every single decision we make creates a parallel existence, a different dimension where-" The Doctor said.

"Oh, you can shut up." Jackie said. I grabbed his arm and pulled him back, and shoved a hand in front of his mouth, stopping him from talking.

"Oh... You look old." She said to Pete.

"You don't."

"How can you be standing there?" She asked.

"Just got lucky... lived my life. You were left on your own. You didn't marry again, or..?"

"There was never anyone else." Jackie said quietly.

The Doctor, Mickey and I smirked.

"Twenty years, though. Look at me. I never left that flat. Did nothing with myself." Jackie said.

"Brought her up. Rose Tyler." Pete said. Our smirks turned into smiles. "That's not bad."

"Yeah." Jackie whispered.

"In my world, it worked. All those daft little plans of mine. They worked. Made me rich."

"I don't care about that... How rich?"

"Very."

"I don't care about that... How very?"

Pete laughed. Rose rolled her eyes and the Doctor and I smiled fondly.

"Thing is though, Jacks, you're not my wife. I'm sorry, but you're not. I mean, we both..."

Jackie nodded.

"You know, it just sort off..." Pete gave in. "Oh, come here!" He exclaimed.

Jackie ran to meet him and he sweeped her up into a hug. She began crying.

I grinned, totally happy.

"Come on. Please." I whispered, as the Doctor stumbled through the Battle of Canary Wharf. He was getting the Magnaclamps. When he picked two up, he used them as shields. He ran back towards the doors, dodging beams. He tripped over a Cyberman's dead body but quickly got up and slid through the doors. Rose slammed it shut after him. I thanked God.

He then opened it and peeked outside, wearing his 3D glasses.

"What're they doing? Why'd they need to get outside?" Rose asked, as we watched them elevate out into the open sky.

"Time Lord science- what Time Lord science?" He shut the door and we ran down the corridor.

"We've gotta see what it's doing! We've gotta go back up! Come on! All of you! Top floor!" The Doctor shouted to everyone.

"That's forty five floors up! Believe me, I've done them all!" Jackie exclaimed.

"We could always take the lift.." Jake suggested.

We stepped out of the lift onto the top floor and ran to the windows, the Doctor dumping the Magnaclamps on Yvonne's desk.

I watched outside as the Genesis Ark span, with thousands of Daleks spilling out.

"Doctor. Time Lord science. Bigger on the inside." I whispered

"Did Time Lords put those Daleks in there? What for?" Mickey asked.

"It's a prison ship." The Doctor breathed.

"How many Daleks?" Rose asked.

"Millions." I said.

Pete tossed a Parallel World button to Jackie.

"They're destroying the city!" She exclaimed.

"I'd forgotten you could argue." Pete said affectionately, looping the button round Jackie's neck.

"It's not just London. It's the whole world." He told her. "But there's another world, just waiting for you, Jacks. And it's safe. As long as the Doctor and Eleanor close the breech. Doctor?"

The Doctor turned from the window, 3D glasses on, grinning.

"Oh, I'm ready. I've got the equipment right here. Thank you Torchwood!"

He dashed to a computer. "Slam it down and close off both universes."

"But we can't just leave. What about the Daleks? And the Cybermen?" Rose asked.

"They're part of the problem. And that makes them part of the solution!" I exclaimed, and Rose laughed nervously.

"Well? Isn't anyone gonna ask? What is it with the glasses?" He asked.

"What is it with the glasses?" Rose grinned.

"I can SEE! That's what! 'Cos we've got two separate worlds, but in-between the two separate worlds, we've got the Void. That's where the Daleks were hiding. And the Cybermen travelled through the Void to get here! And you lot - one world to another, via the Void! Oh, I like that. Via the Void! Look!" He exclaimed, and I gave Rose my glasses. She put them on and watched the Doctor dodge about, surrounded by green and red particles.

"Void stuff." The Doctor and I said at the same time.

"Like um... background radiation!" Rose exclaimed.

"That's it. Look at the others." The Doctor said.

She looked around. Jake, Mickey and Pete had travelled parallel worlds, as had Rose and the Doctor. So had I, when we travelled only a short while before. The only person who hadn't was Jackie.

"The only one who hasn't been through the Void. Your mother. First time she's looked normal in her life." The Doctor said, and Rose and I giggled.

"Oi!" Jackie exclaimed. The Doctor dashed off, and I followed.

"The Daleks lived inside the Void.. They're bristling with void stuff. Cybermen too." I explained.

"We just open the Void... end of verse. The Void stuff gets sucked back inside." The Doctor finished.

"Pulling them all in!" Rose exclaimed, as enthusiastic as the Doctor and I.

"Pulling them all in!" The Doctor exclaimed too.

"Sending them to Hell. I like it." Mickey grinned.

"But it's... like you said. We've all got void stuff. Me too, 'cause we went to that parallel world." Rose said, and she flexed her fingers and saw void stuff.

"We're all contaminated. We'll get pulled in."

"That's why you've gotta go." The Doctor said, suddenly calm.

I stared at him. I had no idea he wanted Rose to go.

"Back to Pete's world. Hey, we should call it that! Pete's world." He said., "I'm opening the void, but only on this side. You'll be safe on that side." He told her.

"And then you close it? For good?" Pete asked.

"The breech itself is soaked in Void stuff, in the end it'll close itself. And that's it. Kaput." The Doctor said.

"But you two stay on this side?" Rose asked.

"But you'll get pulled in." Mickey said. The Doctor ran to the Magnaclamps. I was gobsmacked, as was Rose.

"That's why I got these. We'll hold on tight. We've been doing it all our lives."

"Why is Eleanor staying?" Rose asked.

"We can't live without each other." He said simply.

"But I'm supposed to go?" Rose asked.

"Yep." The Doctor replied. I was really shocked.

"To another world. And then it gets sealed off."

"Yeah." The Doctor said.

"Forever." She said, and laughed at the absurdity of the idea. "That's not gonna happen."

"Doctor... It's Rose. We can't-" I began, but a crash outside shook the building.

"We haven't got time to argue, the plans works, we go in. You too. All of us." Pete said.

"No, I'm not leaving them!" Rose exclaimed.

"I'm not going without her." Jackie warned.

"Oh, my God. We're going!" Pete exclaimed.

"I've had twenty years without you, so button it. I'm not leaving her." Jackie said.

"You've got to." Rose said, turning to her mother.

"Well, that's tough!" Jackie exclaimed.

"Mum.. I've had a life with you for nineteen years. But then I met the Doctor and Eleanor and... all the things I've seen them do... for me. For you. For all of us. For the whole stupid planet and every planet out there. They do it alone, mum." Rose said, with tears in her eyes.

The Doctor, behind her, sadly took a button out of his pocket.

"But not anymore. 'Cos now they've got me." Rose said. A tear slid down my face as the button was looped around her neck.

"What're you-?"

Pete quickly pressed the button, and they all disappeared. I let out a loud and shaky breath.

"Oh God." I muttered.

Rose appeared again. "I think this is the on switch.."

"Once the breech collapses, that's it. You will never be able to see her again. Your own mother!" The Doctor exclaimed, as if trying to drum sense into her.

"I made my choice a long time ago, and I'm never gonna leave you." She said shakily.

I smiled.

"What can I do to help?" She asked.

"Those co-ordinates over there, set them all to six." He told her. She did as she was told.

Cue awkward silence.

"And hurry up." He said, sounding angry. Rose flinched, and took the button from around her neck.

"We've got Cybermen on the way up." She told us.

"How many floors down?" I asked, running to look.

"Just one."

The Doctor grinned as he made the levers operational.

"That's more like it. Bit of a smile!" I grinned.

"The old team." Rose smiled.

The Doctor handed me a Magnaclamp, and kept one for himself.

"You two, on that one. I'll be on this one." He said.

I attached ours to the wall, and he attached his.

"When it starts, just hold on tight. Shouldn't be too bad for us but the Daleks and Cybermen are steeped in Void Stuff." The Doctor said.

We got in our positions.

"So are they." Rose said. Daleks appeared at the window.

"Let's do it!" I shouted. We pushed the levers and hurriedly took our places at the Magnaclamps.

The area filled with white light, and the sound of strong wind. We were lifted off our feet as Daleks and Cybermen flew into the Void. I clung on for dear life, as were Rose and the Doctor.

"The breech is open! Into the Void! Ha!" The Doctor shouted.

I grinned at Rose as we were billowed by the wind. Suddenly, sparks flew from mine and Rose's lever. The smiles faded from our faces.

"Offline."

"Turn it on!" The Doctor shouted.

Rose reached for the lever, but it was too far away. She strained, eventually falling onto it. I let go of one hand, and flew it out to her. She grabbed it, pulling the lever back up. I whimpered as I struggled to keep hold of her and keep us to the wall.

"I've gotta get it upright!"

She pushed the lever up, groaning, but keeping her hand in mine.

"Online and locked."

"Rose, hold on!" The Doctor shouted. My fingers began to pry away from the Magnaclamp.

The Void pulled at her, and me. It was impossible to keep our grip. I winced and she cried in effort.

"Eleanor, hold on! I love you!" The Doctor shouted.

I moaned in effort as my fingers fell a little more. I looked at the Doctor, he watched in terror as my hand dropped from the Magnaclamp and Rose and I hurtled into the Void.

Luckily for us, Pete appeared moments before our Dalek/Cyberman death, and he put buttons over us and pressed it, taking us to the parallel world.

Leaving the Doctor and I apart.

Forever.

This is the story of how I died. 


	28. Eleanor Says Goodbye Part Two

"What? No, you are not doing this to me!" Eleanor screamed, and Jackie and Pete both winced at her loud voice.

Eleanor grabbed the button and repeatedly bashed it, but nothing happened. The breech had closed. She growled in frustration and smashed the button onto the floor, sending the pieces flying. She ignored Rose, quietly crying in the corner of the room as she went on a warpath of destruction.

"You bring me back! You said you couldn't live without me! And I can't either!" She screamed, repeatedly kicking the debris in the room, smashing her fists against the clear white wall and causing her knuckles to bleed.

Eventually, she simply leaned against the wall, pressing her tear ridden face against the cold and smooth paint and sobbing. She heard Rose do the same, and they both cried for all they had lost.

The Doctor, on the other side of the wall, pressed his blank face onto the wall too, feeling empty inside. He had felt this when he thought Eleanor had died, and he had hoped then that he would never experience it again. But he had lost her. Forever. And he didn't even get to say a proper goodbye.

He listened, desperately trying to hear Eleanor or Rose, but he heard nothing, simply the dull and old thud of his hearts. They might of well have stopped right then.

"Eleanor.." He whispered. "Rose.."

In the space of a few seconds, he had lost his soul mate and his best friend. He would never see the two people he loved the most ever again.

That's when he lost it.

He growled, right from the back of his throat as he slammed his fists against the cold white paint. He finally gave up, and kissed the wall, unknowing that Eleanor was doing the exact same thing in her world.

"Eleanor.." Rose whispered, tears drowning her face. Eleanor turned, and the two girls hugged, desperately clinging to each other. Reminders of their past lives.

The fun they had with the Doctor and each other. None of that mattered anymore. They would both give all their memories up, happily, just to have him back.

None of them quite knew what to say, and neither did Pete, Jackie or Mickey, who were watching the distraught girls sadly.

"There must be a way back." Rose simply said, shaking her head and wiping her tears. Eleanor shook her head.

"I don't think there is. I can't live without him!" She cried desperately. Mickey stopped her wails by hugging her, and both Jackie and Pete hugged Rose.

The trio winced as they listened to the girls' cries and agonised screams.

ELEANOR

That was how Rose Tyler and Eleanor Thorn died. Technically, we were on the list of the dead back on the Doctor's world. Thousands of people died and we were just another two, nothing special about us. It took a couple of hours for Jackie, Pete and Mickey to be able to drag us both away.

Two broken girls, distraught by one angel in the form of a man.

I will always be grateful to the Tyler's. Not only did they look after me, but they looked after Rose. I wasn't the only one heartbroken. She too loved the Doctor, and not only in the way that friends love each other. But she didn't begrudge my love for him. She accepted that the Doctor and I were both a part of each other.

But the Tyler's. They cared for us both. We went back home, and everything seemed the same. But a little different. There was the lack of a certain man that unknowingly reassured all humans that everything was okay, even if they didn't have a clue who he was.

Pete's house was crazy. A mansion. My first smile in hours cracked when I saw Jackie's face when she walked into it. But it was forced. I had to seem grateful, and I was. I loved them as I loved my parents. But I could still never be fully content, I was without him.

We moved in, and I had no belongings or possessions, but that didn't matter. Pete insisted that we go shopping and buy clothes and furniture for me, but I didn't have the heart or energy to move.

That night was the worst. I was exhausted, but the tears wouldn't stop flowing. I spent hours, lying in my bed, sobbing quietly into my pillow. Halfway through the night I think I eventually managed to doze off, but a gentle knock at the door awoke me.

I stumbled to the door, eyes scratchy and raw, and I sniffled as Rose walked in. Her hair was mussed up, and her eyes were also raw.

I went back into bed and motioned for her to join me.

She crawled in next to me. She was stone cold.

"Everything will be all right." I whispered, assuring us both.

"I love him." She told me. "I'm sorry. But I do."

"I know you do." I whispered back, and I hugged her, and we both eventually went back to sleep.

The next day was worse. It had finally sunk in that we would never see the Doctor again. I didn't talk. Not to anyone. I stared blankly out of my bedroom window at the lavishly decorated gardens, thinking.

Every day was the same as the next, and it never got easier. Waking up in the morning, with no purpose.

I had no Doctor, no TARDIS, and no form of even reaching the stars. I was an immortal Time Lord stranded on Earth. I would have to live here forever, never fulfilling my wishes to explore the stars.

The thought made me want to tear my hair out.

Three months later

It eventually began to get better. The first day in which the sun seemed to shine a little brighter, was when the most reassuring day of my life happened.

It was around four in the afternoon when Rose knocked on my bedroom door and walked in.

"How're you feeling?" She asked.

"The same. How about you?" I asked. She nodded.

"Better. Look, El. I was thinking.. About everything we did. I want to remember. I want to think about it." She said.

"What do you mean?"

"Do you remember, when you gave him that smoothie.. And you didn't tell him it had pears in it. Remember his face?" She said. I giggled. I actually giggled. Despite my apparent happiness, a tear still slid down my face, and it did on Rose's too.

"Ha! Remember how he used to talk to himself when he thought no one was looking?" I asked, and she giggled along with me.

Jackie walked into the room, a hand on her small baby bump, and smiled at the two of us, happy but sad.

We spent the whole day recalling memories and things about him.

It was fun.

It helped.

But it didn't stop the tears at night.

3RD PERSON

Rose and Eleanor sat up straight in their beds at the exact same time, breathing heavily with mussed up hair. As usual, Eleanor had red raw eyes.

El leaped out of bed and pounded on Rose's door.

"I had a dream." She said.

"Me too." Rose replied, and they both ran through hallways and down staircases until they reached Jackie and Pete's room. Mickey's too, as he had taken to living with them.

Everyone gathered in the living room, each with cups of tea in their hands and the fire roaring.

"Last night we had a dream.." Eleanor said, and as usual, her voice was desolate, depressed. "We heard a voice and it was calling our names."

"Yeah.. He was calling us.. And erm.." Rose said, shuffling in her pyjamas.

They all listened intently as the night grew darker outside.

That night, we packed up. We packed clothes, bed sheets, food and drinks for the journey. Everything we would need. We got into Pete's old jeep.

Rose, Mickey and I sat in the back, and Jackie and Pete in the front. And we drove away into the night, like our dreams said.

We followed the voice. We drove hundreds and thousands of miles, driving to where the voice grew louder. Because it was calling and because we were desperate.

We stood on a deserted and desolate beach in Norway. Mickey, Jackie and Pete stood by the jeep as Rose and I looked around, searching for something.

There we where at last. This is the story of how we died.

We suddenly both stood still at the same time, waiting. We turned as the Doctor faded into the air, a translucent image.

"Where are you?" Rose asked. I was too upset to talk.

"Inside the TARDIS." The Doctor said, and he grimaced as he heard Eleanor whimper at that.

"There's one tiny little gap in the universe left, just about to close. And it takes a lot of power to send this projection. I'm in orbit around a super nova. I'm burning up a sun just to say goodbye." He said, laughing softly.

"You look like a ghost." Eleanor said shakily.

"Hold on..." He said, and he used the sonic to strengthen the projection.

"Can I t-?" El asked.

"I'm still just an image. No touch."

"Can't you come through properly?" Rose asked shakily.

"The whole thing would fracture. Two universes would collapse." He said sadly.

"So?" Eleanor asked, only half joking. The Doctor smiled and they both watched each other.

"Where are we? Where did the gap come out?" He asked, still staring into his soul mate's eyes.

"Norway." She told him.

"Norway. Right." The Doctor nodded.

"About fifty miles out of Bergen. It's called 'D rlig Ulv Stranden'. " Rose added.

"Dalek?" He asked, surprised.

"Dar-lig. It's Norwegian for 'bad'. " Eleanor added.

"The whole thing translates at 'Bad Wolf Bay.'"

The Doctor laughed as Eleanor grinned.

"My Bad Wolf." He said.

"How long have we got?" Rose asked, her voice cracking.

"About ten minutes... But I'd like to speak with each of you alone." He asked. Rose nodded and walked away.

"Eleanor, my Eleanor." He whispered. Eleanor scrunched her face up, trying to control the tears. "I love you so much. I would do anything to get you back... But I can't." He said, a tear dripping down his face.

"I love you." Eleanor said, her voice cracking.

"We'd have done it all. We'd have gotten married. Maybe had children. Who knows? But we would have seen everything and done everything and..." He began.

"Run." Eleanor smiled.

"What?"

"We would've run a hell of a lot."

He chuckled. "Right. But we can't do that now. We have to live for eternity without each other, so promise me this."

"What?"

"Move on. Find someone else and love them." He asked.

"Will you do that?" She asked.

"No." He said after pausing.

"Then neither will I."  
"You were always stubborn. In every life." The Doctor smiled, closing his eyes as a couple of tears fell from his eyes.

"I can't do this. I can't live without you." Eleanor cried.

"I know. But we have to. I'm going to continue living by promising myself that we'll see each other again.. Somehow."

"But you know we can't." Eleanor told him, sobbing.

"We can try, my love."

"I will never forget you." Eleanor promised, whispering and trying to control the tears.

"I will never forget you." The Doctor said back, and everyone back at the jeep cringed as they both began sobbing at the same time.

The Doctor smiled as Eleanor waved them over. Everyone except Rose.

"We're sticking together, Rose and I. Living with them. Remembering." Eleanor told him. The Doctor smiled, but it was forced.

"Jackie Tyler. I never thought I'd miss your voice." The Doctor said, as Jackie reached out to swat him, but Pete grabbed her hand just in time.

"He's not really there, love." Pete said. The Doctor's smile fell as tears welled up in Jackie's eyes.

"And Mickey the idiot. You were never an idiot. If truth be told, you saved us on many occasions. Thank you." The Doctor said.

"Ha. Big ears." Mickey said, emotion clear in his voice.

"Look after them." The Doctor asked Pete and Jackie. "Make sure they're never alone. They need a good life."

"We'll do our best, Doctor." Jackie said, her voice breaking at 'Doctor.'

Mickey too began crying, and tears welled up in Pete's eyes too.

They all walked away.

"Well.. This is it. I'll let you talk to Rose. I love you. To your Earth and back. A million times." She said, fresh tears crashing onto the sand as her hair whipped around you.

"Oh God. This is it. Eleanor Thorn. You were fabulous. I love you." The Doctor said, and he ground his teeth as the girl walked over to her new family, tears slipping down her face. He watched as she fell into Jackie's arms.

He didn't even smile when Rose walked back over.

"I'm glad you said goodbye to mum and dad." Rose said, noticing his sad smile. He nodded. "I can't think of what to say!" Rose laughed at the absurdity of the situation, but her tears still fell.

"You've still got Mr Mickey then."

"There's six of us now, yeah. Mum, dad, Eleanor, Mickey... and the baby."

"You're not...?" The Doctor asked, taken aback.

"No. It's mum." She laughed. The Doctor also laughed and looked back over at Jackie. "She's three months gone. More Tylers on the way."

"And what about you? Are you..?" The Doctor asked.

"Yeah, I'm working back at the shop.."

"Good for you." The Doctor nodded.

"You should see El though, she hardly gets out of bed." Rose confided.

"Ah." The Doctor said, looking at the ground.

"Can't believe you bought it. I'm not really at the shop. There's still a Torchwood on this planet, it's open for business." She teared up again. "I think I know a thing or two about aliens."

"Rose Tyler. Defender of the Earth." The Doctor said proudly.

"Not just me. Eleanor too. Defenders." Rose amended.

"You're both dead, officially. Back home. So many people died and you've gone missing. You're on the list of the dead." The Doctor said. Rose began crying quietly.

"Here you are. Living a life day after day. The one adventure I could've had, but never can."

"Are we ever gonna see you again?" Rose sobbed.

"You can't." The Doctor said quietly.

"What're you gonna do?"

"Oh, I've got the TARDIS. Same old life. Last of the Time Lord's on this world."

"On your own?"

The Doctor nodded, watching her with compassion. Rose's tears fell thick and fast.

"I love you." She choked.

"Quite right, too." The Doctor said softly. Rose smiled at him through her tears.

"And I suppose... If it's one last chance to say it. I love you too, Rose Tyler." He said, gazing at her. Rose smiled, knowing he didn't mean it in that way.

The time came for the Doctor to disappear, and he faded away into nothingness.

Eleanor saw, and her face screwed up in pain, and she sobbed into her hands. With blurry eyes and salty face, she stumbled down the beach to Rose, and the two girls hugged tightly, fighting the heart breaking pain they were facing.

Both Rose and Eleanor's bodies shuddered with pain and loss.

The Doctor sighed, and sat down on his own on the jump seat. His head in his hands. Tears dripping down his face.

"Eleanor." He whispered.

The two girls eventually turned back to their family, old and new, weeping inconsolably. Jackie watched with concern as her two girls, and she ran across the beach and embraced them both. They buried their heads in her shoulder, feeling utterly wretched.

The Doctor stood, rubbing his hands over his eyes and wiping his painful tears away.

Eleanor was gone.

Rose was gone.

He had nothing.

He slowly pushed levers and buttons, walking around without enthusiasm. A dead man walking.

And I'm sobbing like the baby I am. This is it for the Girl Who Skipped Through Time.

Will there be a sequel? I don't know.

I quite like it where it is.

JOKING.

I still don't know though.

Please review/comment. Don't be angry with me. *Hides.*

Thank you for your constant support throughout this series, and let's hope it'll become a trilogy.

I can also happily say that I haven't had any negative comments. AT ALL. Which I find amazing. So thanks.

Also a reminder to check out the spin off with Scarlet. Find it on my page.

-Fay x 


	29. Author's Note

I just want to make sure that you all know, there IS a sequel. Find it on my page.

It's called- 'The Girl in the Parallel World' as sort of suggested by 'UnicornzAreReal'.

Thank you!

-Fay x 


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